The worldwide famous toy manufacturer Mattel Inc. is producing a completely new collection of Barbie dolls embodying individuals who serve as role models of the XX century.
The collection is being released in 2018 consists of 17 dolls.
"With this collection, we want to 'reward' those women who can be considered role models for little girls, because they inspire and break stereotypes with their activities," a company representative said.
The company has called its special edition "Shero" (which refers to the combination of words she+hero).
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Among the women who became prototypes of the rare dolls are American film director Ava Duvernay, plus-size model Ashley Graham, artistic gymnast Gabi Douglas, dancer Misty Copeland and others.
One of the dolls personifies Polish journalist and traveler Martyna Wojciechowska. Another is devoted to Russian supermodel and founder of the Naked Heart Charity Fund, Natalya Vodianova.
Each doll costs about 75 to 150 dollars. For an ordinary toy, this is quite a high price, Svetlana Pchelnikova, member of the British Doll Artist Association (BDA) argues.
At the same time, she notes that the dolls from limited edition are made of better and more expensive materials and are designed for collectors, rather than for kids.
"The more limited the edition is, the stronger is the passion of collectors, and accordingly, the price of a doll gets higher. The popularity of Barbie dolls has recently decreased, little girls are not interested in them, they already love other heroes," the expert said.
"Thus, this is first of all, a marketing tool of the company Mattel that is used for the brand's PR in mass media," she concluded.
Only 4 of 17 dolls from the limited edition Shero 2018 will go into mass production. The rest will remain unique and made in a single copy.