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When it comes to the Barbie universe, children can become anything… Even one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
American tennis star Venus Williams will be honoured with a new Barbie doll celebrating her sports legacy and her fight for pay equity, the dollmaker announced today.
Williams’ doll is part of Mattel Creations’ Inspiring Women Collection, and will be released on Friday. It is expected to cost $38 (€32).
A seven-time singles Grand Slam winner and a four-time Olympic gold medallist, Williams belongs in the tennis hall of fame.
After more than a year off the tennis court, the 45-year-old player became the second oldest woman to win a WTA singles match during her July run at the Washington Open.
Her upcoming doll will feature the tennis icon in all white with a green gem necklace, wristband, racket and tennis ball, as a nod to the tennis uniform she wore while winning Wimbledon in 2007.
Her win was the first time a woman received equal prize money as the men at a top-level tournament, a breakthrough she had repeatedly campaigned for.
Mattel’s Inspiring Women Collection has honoured trailblazing female historical figures from various fields, including Chilean-American writer Isabel Allende, English primatologist Jane Goodall and US civil rights activist Ida B. Wells.
Barbie launched the special series on International Women’s Day in 2018.
“Girls have always been able to play out different roles and careers with Barbie and we are thrilled to shine a light on real life role models to remind them that they can be anything,” Mattel executive Lisa McKnight said in a 2018 statement introducing the collection.
Mattel has multiplied efforts of representation in recent years, in an effort to empower little girls and make the world’s most iconic doll more inclusive.
In May 2024, the brand released a series of nine dolls celebrating female “role-model athletes who have broken boundaries to encourage girls to stay in sports.”
The collection, released as part of Barbie’s 65th anniversary celebration, already featured Venus Williams.
It also included dolls of Brazilian gymnast and Olympic gold medallist Rebeca Andrade, Italian swimmer Federica Pellegrini and Spanish paratriathlon athlete Susana Rodriguez.
“Throughout my career, I’ve always been driven by the idea of shattering glass ceilings and staying true to myself, and Barbie’s mission couldn’t resonate more deeply with that ethos,” Williams said at the time.
The announcement of Williams’ new doll follows the release in July of a Barbie with type 1 diabetes, launched in partnership with model Lila Moss.
In April, US basketball player LeBron James also became the first professional male athlete to receive a Ken doll in his likeness.
Additional sources • AP