New range of Barbie dolls offers curvy and petite body options

Dec 19 2017, 11:02 am

After years of criticism, Mattel has finally released a new range of Barbie dolls that offer more diverse body and skin tone options.

In total, there will now be four body types, seven skin tones, 22 eye colours, and 24 hairstyles offered in the Barbie Fashionistas line. The new body types will be labeled “tall,” “curvy,” and “petite.”

The new Barbie doll will be on the cover of TIME magazine for the week of February 8.

“This is radical because we’re that there isn’t this narrow standard of what a beautiful body looks like,” said senior director of product design Robert Best in a video.

Barbies are considered a best-seller for Mattel, and bring upwards of $1 billion in yearly revenue for the toy company.

Barbie first launched in March of 1959 and was created by businesswoman Ruth Handler, who named the doll after her daughter, Barbara. The look of Barbie has evolved in a multitude of ways since that initial launch more than 50 years ago – check out TIME Magazine’s video below to see how she’s changed.

DH Calgary StaffDH Calgary Staff

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