As the annual Toy Fair approaches, so do the announcements from the makes of awesome products like the folks at Mattel who continually offer us worlds or wonder with their Barbie line (like the “Star Wars” and “David Bowie” ones from last year). Check out this latest bit of news.

The Press Release:
Yesterday, the ultimate girls empowerment brand – Barbie – announcd its 2020 Fashionistas line. Over the past five years, the line has evolved to be more reflective of the world girls see around them by introducing more than 170+ new looks. For 2020, Barbie is continuing the journey to represent global diversity and inclusivity in the fashion doll aisle by showcasing a multi-dimensional view of beauty and fashion by adding: a doll with skin condition vitiligo, a doll with no hair, a doll with a darker skin tone that uses a gold prosthetic limb, Ken with long rooted hair (all for the first-time).

BARBIE 2020 FASHIONISTAS LINE:
• A doll with vitiligo
– As we continue to redefine what it means to be a “Barbie” or look like Barbie, offering a doll with vitiligo in our main doll line allows kids to play out even more stories they see in the world around them.
– To design this doll, we worked with a dermatologist to ensure vitiligo was accurately represented.

• A doll with no hair
– Reflective of hair trends seen from catwalk to the sidewalk.
– If a girl is experiencing hair loss for any reason, she can see herself reflected in the line.

• A doll with a darker skin tone that uses a gold prosthetic limb.
– In 2019, Barbie introduced dolls reflecting permanent disabilities, including a doll with a prosthetic limb, by collaborating with then 12-year-old Jordan Reeves, who is on a mission to build creative solutions that help kids with disabilities, to create a play experience that is as representative as possible.
– This year, we have expanded the offering to include a second doll with a darker skin tone that uses a prosthetic limb.

• Ken with long rooted hair
– Ken’s newest style is a first in the Fashionistas line and differs from the traditional molded look because it has rooted locks.

• *The brand’s efforts on diversity and inclusivity is resonating – seen through:
– In 2019, over half of all dolls offered were diverse.
– Of the top ten Fashionista best sellers, seven were diverse, including the doll that uses a wheelchair.
– The top selling doll for almost every week in 2019 was a curvy black fashionista with an afro hairstyle.

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Piercing Ken Thoughts: Kudos to Mattel for expanding the world of Barbie in such a way that its more in tune with the world that we live in each and every day. I feel these new additions to the line will only make collecting them or the playtime devoted to them all the more awesome. What do you collectors of the line think about these new fashionista dolls? Will you be adding them to your own stockpile or making some gifts of them for someone else. Chime in down below. See you next time and in case you wondered, YES, “The Chronicles of Piercing Ken” AND PiercingMetal will be attending the Toy Fair. It’s our 10th year going so stay tuned.

Official Websites:
Barbie: http://www.barbie.com
Mattel: http://www.mattel.com