Barbie, at 57-years-old, is finally acting her age.
Today, in a massive Time cover story, Mattel announced it’s now selling three new body types— tall, petite and curvy — plus debuting new hairstyles and seven new skin tones in an attempt to better reflect the young shoppers it desperately wants to attract.
“We believe we have a responsibility to girls and parents to reflect a broader view of beauty,” Mattel said in a statement. The new group, called “Fashionistas,” are being sold online and will ship next month.
Barbie’s appearance has long been criticized as being “out of touch” or not diverse enough. Evelyn Mazzocco, the global brand GM of Barbie, even receives death threats. Finally, after years of focus groups and designs, Mattel was ready to roll out the new dolls.
“Yes, some people will say we are late to the game,” Mazzocco conceded. “But changes at a huge corporation take time.”
We proudly offer girls more choices than ever. Learn more at https://t.co/JDeqzI59nX. #TheDollEvolves #Barbie pic.twitter.com/x4PzxduwXJ
— Barbie (@Barbie) January 28, 2016
Mattel hopes the makeover also beautifies its bottom-line in addition to the public’s perception. Between 2012 and 2014, sales of Barbie slumped 20 percent as rivals, like Disney’s toys from “Frozen,” were responsible for as much as $500 million in losses, according to Time.
While it’s too soon to see how the new Barbie dolls helped sales, reaction online has been 90 percent positive according to data from Brandwatch. The makeover prompted 65,000 tweets so far today, with the brand’s relaunch hashtag, #TheDollEvolves, garnering 15,000 tweets.
The curvy model is the most talked about doll, with 12,000 mentions, with the tall doll in second place at 9,600 mentions and petite garnering 9,500 mentions.
Barbie is getting a makeover. Mattel is rolling out three new body types for the iconic blonde doll: curvy, tall and petite.
Posted by Digiday on Thursday, January 28, 2016
More in Marketing
At the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Mastercard joins a pack of consumer brands flocking to Formula One
For marketers looking to align their brands with F1’s expanded appeal to audiences, the Las Vegas Grand Prix is providing a slip road into the sport.
Why PepsiCo and EA are expanding their partnership into mobile: A Q&A with PepsiCo vp of global sports and entertainment partnerships Adam Warner
The planned, multi-year nature of PepsiCo’s integration into “EA Sports FC” reflects that both PepsiCo and Electronic Arts are playing the long game as they look to step up the presence of ads inside and beyond EA’s portfolio of sports titles.
Key takeaways from Digiday’s 2024 Gaming Advertising Forum
Now that gaming has gone from a buzzword to a regular presence in brands’ media mix, marketers are more closely scrutinizing the value and ROI of their investments in this channel — and the platforms are rising to the challenge. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from this week’s Gaming Advertising Forum.