Courtesy of Mattel website
Step aside, Barbie. It’s time to make room for history’s leading ladies. In honor of International Women’s Day, Mattel is set to release a new series of dolls called “Inspiring Women.” The dolls celebrate the trailblazers among us including more than a few recognizable history—make that herstory—makers.
The new collection will include women from different decades and industries, including Frida Kahlo, the well-known artist and feminist, Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, and Katherine Johnson, who worked with NASA to bring the first American-manned flight into space. Each Barbie comes with a history lesson about the amazing woman that inspired the doll. The series has yet to receive a release date (but you can begin pre-ordering online in April).
On International Women’s Day (March 8), Mattel will continue its tradition of naming modern-day boundary-breaking women to its “Shero” program. These women, chosen for their inspiration to girls everywhere, are honored with a Barbie created in their likeness (but you won’t find them on shelves).
This year, 14 women were chosen for the Shero line, among them Patty Jenkins, director of Wonder Woman, Chloe Kim, the 17-year-old snowboarder who won gold for the USA in this year’s Winter Olympics, and Bindi Irwin, conservationist and daughter of the late Steve Irwin.
This year’s dolls will see Barbie honoring its largest lineup of role models to date, according to Lisa McKnight, senior vice president and general manager of Barbie. If you’re wondering why Mattel has chosen so many women, it’s because “we know that you can’t be what you can’t see,” she says. We couldn’t agree more.