Of all Mattel’s fashion dolls, Barbie is the company’s most popular and well-known. First introduced in 1959, Barbie has been a style legend and inspiring leader for children of all ages. But did you know that the Barbie brand also makes dolls for famous women in history?
As part of Mattel’s Inspirational Women’s Series, these portraits of women have been transformed into products that children and doll collectors will enjoy purchasing. Whether you view these toys as a striking testament to female strength or as a sickening commodification of real people, here’s a historical figure who got his own Barbie doll. to introduce.
Ten Helen Keller
Everyone knows Helen Keller. Her advocate, author, and speaker, Ms. Keller lost both her sight and hearing in her childhood, but she graduated from Radcliffe College (now merged with Harvard), where she continued to raise her awareness of people with deafblindness like her.
Keller’s dolls reflect the fashions she wore during her school days. She has a portrait of her with a Braille book in her hand and wears a high-necked blouse with ruffles and lace and a pink skirt with blue stripes. Today, Keller’s work and her accomplishments encourage people with disabilities to keep striving toward their goals and dreams.
9 Susan B. Anthony
It’s hard to believe that a little over 100 years ago women were finally given the right to vote (at least some of them did). However, during the presidential election of 1872, Susan B. Anthony voted in protest and was criminally prosecuted for her choice. Susan B. Anthony, an activist who fought for women’s rights and the abolition of slavery in America, has been added to Mattel’s Inspirational Women series for 2020.
Wearing a floor-length black dress with puff sleeves and white lace detailing, a cameo brooch, and round glasses, Anthony doll encourages girls and women to stand up for their rights and what they believe in. It is intended to encourage people to stand up for themselves.
8 Florence Nightingale
To this day, Florence Nightingale’s compassion continues to educate young nurses as they advance their careers. In recognition of her efforts in the Crimean War and the change she made for the future of all her nurses, Nightingale is also among those gifted with her very own Barbie doll in 2020.
The Nightingale doll, known as the Lady of the Lamp, wears a nurse’s uniform inspired by the 19th century. Her uniform consists of a gray dress with lace, a white apron and a white hat. On her chest is a band that says Scutari Hospital, where Nightingale served during the Crimean War. Adults and children alike should always remember how the Nightingale lit the way for others in the 1850s.
7 Ella Fitzgerald
Billed as the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald’s musical career from the 1930s to the 1990s continues today thanks to Fitzgerald’s iconic voice, her experimentation with genres, and influence on jazz soundscapes. I’m here.
On her doll, a caricature of Fitzgerald wears a shimmering purple gown, white brooch, and purple heels, reminiscent of the stage outfits Fitzgerald once appeared in. The doll also comes with a microphone so anyone who purchases this toy will be able to recreate some of her most famous Fitzgerald songs, including “Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall.”
6 Bessie Coleman
When you think of American female pilots, you probably think of Amelia Earhart. Earhart received a Barbie doll, but she’s not the only woman who dared to fly. In 1921, Bessie Coleman was the first black and Native American woman to obtain her international pilot’s license in France and take to the skies.
An awe-inspiring flight legend despite being denied lessons in the United States because of her race and gender, Coleman has appeared in countless air shows and has been a black man in America. claimed the rights of a priest. Inspired by her Coleman uniform, this look-alike wears a green jacket, green pants, long black lace-up boots, a white scarf and a pilot’s hat. Once again this pilot is ready to take off.
Five Madame CJ Walker
Madame CJ Walker, real name Sarah Breedlove, was one of the first documented black women to become an American billionaire. Madame CJ Walker, the founder of her manufacturing company, Walker, sold cosmetics and hair products to black people. Her walker doll wears a high-necked purple puff-sleeved blouse covered in flowers, a blue floor-length skirt, and light blue boots.
In addition, the doll also comes with a small tin replica of Walker’s hair products called Madame CJ Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower. Whether you play with or display this doll, you’re sure to be reminded of Walker’s achievements in the 1900s.
Four Ida B. Wells
Many things happened to Ida B. Wells. She was a suffragist, civil rights activist, and journalist on behalf of black women’s rights. Black feminist icon and co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Ms. Wells has been added to the 2022 Women of Inspiration series.
Her doll wears black high heels and a dark blue dress with long puffed sleeves to the floor, decorated with black lace and ruffles. Wells’ doll also comes with a copy of the black newspaper, The Memphis Free Speech, of which she was her co-owner and editor in 1889. To this day, the NAACP continues to spread Wells’ message of equality and justice.
3 Maya Angelou
Known for her adolescent autobiography that explores themes of racism, violence and family, Maya Angelou is the acclaimed writer and poet to receive a Barbie doll in 2021. Besides her doll, Angelou received numerous honors during her lifetime. He received the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Inspired by Angelou’s own outfit, the doll wears an orange floor-length, blue floral dress, matching scarf and gold-colored jewelry. Also included with the toy is Angelou’s critically acclaimed memoir I Know Why the Cagged Bird Sings, a heartbreaking yet hopeful biography of Angelou’s childhood.
2 Anna May Wong
Renowned as the first Chinese-American Hollywood actress, Wong Liu Tsong, also known as the memorable Anna May Wong, appeared in more than 60 films and achieved global stardom in the 20th century.
The Mattel doll pays homage to Wong’s costume from Limehouse Blues and mimics the dragon motif of the toy’s red dress costume. The dress also features colorful flowers, a red scarf draped over the doll’s shoulders, gold earrings and heels. In this look, the Wong doll is ready for the upcoming awards ceremony.
1 Rosa Parks
The story of Rosa Parks, known as the mother of the modern civil rights movement, is important. In 1955, Parks bravely refused to give up her seat after being told to attend to a white passenger who boarded the bus behind him. Parks would be arrested, but her actions were a turning point in the fight against racism, influencing both the Montgomery bus boycott and the civil rights movement.
As a doll, Parks holds a clutch and wears a cream dress covered in green and gray florals, a gray coat, white gloves, and a black pillbox. May those who purchase this doll never forget Parks’ strength and tenacity all those years ago.