Presidential Candidate Barbie 1992
Barbie has been running for president since 1992. Her hairstyle and wardrobe have changed through the years, but you’ll always find her on the campaign trail with each presidential bid. No word yet on if she’s ever going to win, but you have to admire her tenacity!
Black Barbie 2016
African American dolls have been in the Barbie collection since 1968, but usually as a side character like her first friend Christie. Responding to backlash, an official African American Barbie was created in 1980 but not featured prominently until the Fashionista line was released in 2016. The line includes four body types, seven skin tones, 22 eye colors, and 24 hairstyles.
Curvy Barbie 2016
She was the representation of American beauty since her launch in 1959, but it wasn’t until 2016 that Barbie accepted that not all bodies were one size and shape. That year Barbie launched the fashionista line, which was created to represent more diverse pictures of beauty for kids. The line includes three body types: tall, petite, and curvy, to more accurately represent the average American woman who doesn’t just come in one size!
Hijab Barbie 2017
Barbie added the Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad to their Shero collection in 2017. The Shero line previously featured Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas, model Ashley Graham, ballerina Misty Copeland, director Ava DuVernay, and actress Zendaya. Muhammad was the first American to compete in the Olympics while wearing a hijab, and Barbie followed suit by launching the first doll to wear a headscarf.
Wheelchair and Prosthetic Limb Barbie 2019
In 2019, Barbie expanded its Fashionista collection to include dolls with prosthetic legs and wheelchairs. The Fashionista line was launched to represent more diverse pictures of beauty for kids. The new dolls were conceptualized with the help of Jordan Reeves, a 13-year-old disability activist who was born without a left forearm. The limbs can also be removed for more realistic play. Even Barbie’s Dreamhouse is getting a renovation to be wheelchair accessible!
Gender-Neutral Doll 2019
In 2019, Mattel (the makers of all things Barbie) launched the first gender-neutral doll. The doll can be a boy, a girl, neither, or both. In response to the pushback against sex and gender definitions, the new dolls allow kids to be whomever they feel like, whenever they feel like. The Creatable World line manicured the dolls’ features to be label-less—the lips are not too full, the eyelashes not too long and fluttery, the jaw not too wide, with no breasts or broad shoulders. The accessories feature a wardrobe of sneakers, graphic T-shirts, along with tutus and camo pants. Their short, stylish hairstyle comes with a removable wig of longer locks.
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