Orgullo De Madre: Katya Echazarreta’s Mom Holds Back Tears Seeing Daughter’s Barbie

One of the most heartfelt videos you’ll see this week? 27-year-old astronaut Katya Echazarreta showing her mother her official Barbie doll for the first time.

As the first Mexican-born woman to go to space, Echazarreta was honored by Mattel with a doll dressed in navy-blue space gear. The Barbie has the trailblazer’s brown hair and eyes, her name, and the logo for Space for Humanity. Why? It’s the nonprofit that chose her out of thousands of applicants to go on the groundbreaking space mission.

While all of us immediately freaked out upon hearing about the Barbie (our sobrinos and ahijados need it), there’s no doubt it impacted Echazarreta’s mother the most. The astronaut describes her mom as “the reason [she] is here today,” and the person who inspires her every day to shoot for the stars. After years of watching her daughter’s come-up, the mother’s reaction to the Barbie is deeply emotional— and priceless.

This is how the astronaut showed her mom her Barbie for the first time

As you can see in Echazarreta’s TikTok video, her mother was simply minding her business, looking at paperwork outside. Suddenly, the Guadalajara-born astronaut appears with her very own Barbie doll, ready to show her unsuspecting mom. The STEM pioneer giggles in excitement, and honestly — it’s so good.

Echazarreta comes up behind her mom saying, “Mami, I have a surprise,” signaling that she has to show her something special. The mother covers her eyes, ready to see her daughter’s doll for the first time. When she finally opens them, her expression is gold.

The proud mother becomes emotional, holding back tears as she smiles wide and hugs her daughter. She can’t stop laughing and smiling as she holds the Barbie up, visibly overwhelmed by the surreal moment. Echazarreta is just as happy, and her face says it all: gracias, mamá.

The 27-year-old has talked about her mother’s impact on her in the past

Echazarreta told Vogue México in October 2022 that her mother is the biggest reason behind her work ethic and ambition. She told the outlet, “[For my mother], the most important thing was for her daughters to be independent because she could not be. She always wanted a career and to study, but neither her [husband or father] let her.”

The trailblazer said that her mother taught her to be “independent, strong, and not to care what other people say” from the day she was born. She continued, “I’m thankful to my mom for everything.”

Meanwhile, the astronaut said she told her mom she was going to space as “the best birthday” surprise… possibly ever. Her mom reacted with, “I knew it… I always knew it,” which Echazarreta described as a “beautiful” moment she will treasure forever.

Just like the space pioneer’s Barbie was created by Mattel to encourage girls “to follow their passion” in STEM, it’s also a tribute to Echazarreta’s celestial journey. Just like the astronaut is excited for her Barbie to represent “all little brown girls who dream of the stars,” she was no doubt just as inspired by her own mother.