Barbie doll to honour women corona warriors

Mattel, the maker of Barbie dolls, has decided to acknowledge the tireless efforts of doctors, nurses and paramedics during the coronavirus pandemic with its “one-of-a-kind Barbie dolls” as part of its #ThankYouHeroes campaign. In order to inspire children, the Barbie doll maker, Mattel is introducing a set of six to honour women working in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) from different parts of the world.

Besides honouring the corona warriors, Mattel aims to show children careers they may not be aware of, like a vaccinologist. Thus the lineup includes a doll of Professor Sarah Gilbert. As a vaccinology professor with the University of Oxford, Gilbert led the development of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the UK—now the most widely used vaccine around the world, with doses sent to more than 170 countries. Vaccinologist Dame Sarah, who was conferred a damehood in the Queen’s birthday honours, began designing a coronavirus vaccine in early 2020 when COVID-19 first emerged. Speaking to the media, after the announcement was made, Dame Sarah said: “I am passionate about inspiring the next generation of girls into Stem careers and hope that children who see my Barbie will realise how vital careers in science are to help the world around us.”

Mattel has also honoured the efforts of Dr Jacqueline Goes de Jesus who is known for leading the genome sequencing of a COVID-19 variant in Brazil and Australian medic Dr Kirby White who helped create a reusable gown for health workers and is the co-founder of the Gowns for Doctors initiative by developing reusable PPE gown.

Apart from these, the Barbie doll maker also revered the contributions of emergency room nurse Amy O’Sullivan who treated the first COVID-19 patient in Brooklyn, Las Vegas-based frontline worker Dr Audrey Sue and Canada-based psychiatry resident Dr Chika Stacy Oriuwa, a resident psychiatry physician at the University of Toronto, who fought against racism in coronavirus treatment.

Lisa McKnight, senior VP and Global Head at Barbie Dolls, Mattel Barbie says that Barbie recognises that all the frontline workers have made tremendous sacrifices when confronting the pandemic and the challenges it heightened”. She reiterated that the iconic doll maker is “leveraging Barbie’s platform to inspire the next generation to take after these heroes and give back.”

Besides this, Barbie is also bringing out a ‘Fast Cast Clinic’ playset comprising a Barbie doll dressed as a doctor and four distinct play areas— medical station, exam table, x-ray machine, and gift shop. The set includes dough that can be molded to create leg and arm casts and wraps with the bandage maker.

Mattel had previously been criticised that its doll sets an unrealistic image of womanhood. In response, it now offers dolls themed around careers such as a firefighter, doctor and astronaut and in a range of skin tones beyond its original white, blonde doll that first launched in 1959.

In 2018, Mattel released a line of Barbie dolls called “Inspiring Women,” which features incredible women who made history across many fields of work. Speaking on the occasion, senior vice president and general manager of Barbie, Lisa McKnight had stated: “As a brand that inspires the limitless potential in girls, Barbie will be honoring its largest lineup of role models timed to International Women’s Day, because we know that you can’t be what you can’t see.”

The “Inspiring Women” Barbie dolls included Amelia Earhart (American aviation pioneer), Frida Kahlo (renowned Mexican artist), and Katherine Johnson (influential NASA mathematician). Mattel also has plans to add to the “Inspiring Women” series, adding more role models in the future.

Last year, the Barbie toy brand had announced a line-up of dolls to honour female sporting role models ahead of International Women’s Day. The sportswomen honoured included British sprint world champion Dina Asher-Smith, who won 200 meters gold at 2019 world championships in Doha, several sports stars to be recognised as role models, French women’s football captain Amandine Henry and Ukraine’s fencing world champion Olga Kharlan were also dedicated Barbie dolls.

The initiative was a part of the Barbie Dream Gap Project, a social initiative to raise awareness around factors that prevent girls from reaching their full potential. The specialists have pointed out that too many girls were missing out on the physical and mental benefits of the sport. The sport and physical activity is a fantastic way to build girls’ confidence and resilience, helping them become healthy and happy young women. Mattel was hoping to inspire women to adopt sports but the initiative has now been hampered by the onslaught of COVID-19.

Besides honouring the women scientists, Mattel is also honouring the frontline workers who took effort to combat the global pandemic Coronavirus, by releasing a special series of action figures modeled after the first responders who are valiantly putting their lives at risk to save others from the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that at least 9,200 US healthcare professionals had been infected with COVID-19 during the nationwide epidemic.

“#ThankYouHeroes is designed to immortalise and honour healthcare and everyday heroes,” says Chuck Scothon, senior vice president of Mattel subsidiary Fisher-Price in a statement.

The brand’s new collectible line features a range of emergency worker figurines, including EMTs, nurses and doctors who come complete with scrubs and stethoscopes. They also pay homage to the heroic delivery drivers who are sacrificing their own quarantines to transport essential items to the millions of US citizens sheltering in place amid lockdown.

Sales of Barbie dolls rose to a six-year high last year, as the Coronavirus global pandemic saw parents stocking up on toys for their children.