Barbie can be lots of things, including, for example, a celebrated director.
Ava DuVernay, the director of the Oscar-nominated film “Selma,” is receiving an honor that so few of us could even comprehend: Mattel is having a Barbie doll made in her likeness. She tweeted this last night:
All my proceeds from #AvaBarbie will be sent from @Mattel to @ColorOfChange + @WitnessOrg. A fun way to support. xo! pic.twitter.com/O4Z5zl5els
— Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) December 6, 2015
It was DuVernay’s social media following — she has 140,000 Twitter followers — that demanded Matel Toys to mass produce the doll, which was originally supposed to be a one-off doll to be auctioned off for charity.
The toymaker honored her and other women, including actress Emmy Rossum and Instagram’s newly installed head of fashion partnerships Eva Chen, “who have pushed boundaries and expanded possibilities for women” in an event called “Shereos.”
It was DuVernay’s doll that captured attention on Twitter and forced Mattel Toys to fast-track production of it. The brand plans to produce the other women’s dolls in the future.
The #AvaBarbie, as DuVernay is referring to it, elicited excited reaction from fans both young and old with many of them applauding the toymaker for injecting some much-needed diversity into the Barbie line.
Mattel is selling @AVAETC‘s barbie tomorrow. I’m not going to sleep and/or working until I get it. It’s not a game.
— Skiperella. (@Skiperella) December 6, 2015
In spite of the fact that I am 40ish, I will be buying an #AvaBarbie. Because…its @AVAETC! No further explanation needed!
— Dr. K. Farris (@educatedbrngirl) December 6, 2015
Me at midnight tonight! @AVAETC #AvaBarbie pic.twitter.com/mAI9RFbSvs
— Skinny Riperton (@shaebutter76) December 7, 2015
The doll can be bought on Mattel’s website.
More in Marketing
Hyve Group buys the Possible conference, and will add a meeting element to it in the future
Hyve Group, which owns such events as ShopTalk and FinTech Meetup, has agreed to purchase Beyond Ordinary Events, the organizing body behind Possible.
Agencies and marketers point to TikTok in the running to win ‘first real social Olympics’
The video platform is a crucial part of paid social plans this summer, say advertisers and agency execs.
Where Kamala Harris and Donald Trump stand on big tech issues
The next U.S. president is going to have a tough job of reining in social media companies’ dominance and power enough to satisfy lawmakers and users, while still encouraging free speech, privacy and innovation.