Mattel To Launch New Line Of African-American Barbie Dolls
22 Janeiro 2009 - 8:57PM
Dow Jones News
Mattel Inc. (MAT) will launch its first complete line of
African-American Barbie dolls, a company representative said
Thursday.
The line, which features three adult dolls, was previewed in a
video at the Mattel and Fisher-Price Sneak-Peak Tour in New York
one day after America's first African-American president, Barack
Obama, took office.
The "So in Style" dolls, expected to be released in fall 2009,
come with little sisters as part of a mentorship theme.
The company has shown the dolls to prominent women in the
African-American community to ensure their authenticity and in an
effort to possibly recruit a spokesperson for the new line, the
Mattel representative said. The company wouldn't release the names
of the women it consulted.
While Obama's election shows a diminishing racial divide in
America, the company representative said, the doll line was
conceived prior to Obama's announcement that he intended to run for
office.
The line was inspired by Mattel toy designer Stacey McBride. The
price of the new line will be in the same range as other Barbie
lines.
The line differs from the company's prior releases of
African-American toys, in part, because of its facial features. As
an example, the toys have fuller lips and different cheek bone
placement and nose structure.
The company has shown the line to several retailers and said
many have responded well, the company said.
In 1968, Mattel introduced an African-American doll named
Christie, according to the company's Web site.
-By Aja Carmichael, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5218;
aja.carmichael@dowjones.com
Click here to go to Dow Jones NewsPlus, a web front
page of today's most important business and market news, analysis
and commentary. You can use this link on the day this article is
published and the following day.