Barbie to make dolls honoring Venus, 8 others
Barbie will honor tennis champion Venus Williams and eight other athletes with dolls as part of a project announced by Mattel on Tuesday.
The project focuses on highlighting nine trailblazing women athletes, serving as a continued celebration of Barbie’s 65th anniversary. Williams is the first woman to earn equal prize money at Wimbledon and has seven Grand Slams.
The other athletes being depicted as dolls include gymnasts Rebeca Andrade — who has 11 Olympic and world championship medals — and Alexa Moreno, Mexico’s first women’s world medalist in gymnastics. Soccer players Mary Fowler, Australia’s youngest player at the 2019 FIFA World Cup, and Christine Sinclair, who holds the all-time scoring record in international soccer with 190 goals, are also part of the series.
Olympic gold medalist boxer Estelle Mossely, swimmer Federica Pellegrini, the first woman to break four minutes in the 400mm freestyle, five-time world championship gold medalist and paratriathlete Susana Rodriguez and eight-time national indoor champion sprinter Ewa Swoboda round out the group of athletes who are being honored.
“Throughout my career, I’ve always been driven by the idea of shattering glass ceilings and staying true to myself, and Barbie’s mission couldn’t resonate more deeply with that ethos,” Williams said.
The brand wanted to note “the impact of sports in fostering self-confidence, ambition and empowerment among the next generation,” Mattel’s Krista Berger said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
