Mattel Has Released a Misty Copeland Barbie Doll to Inspire Young Ballerinas

By Madeleine Davies  |  May 2, 2016 | 5:45pm
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Sashaying onto Good Morning America on Monday, Misty Copeland—the first African American female principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater—debuted her collaboration with toy company Mattel as a part of the brand’s new Sheroes program: a Misty Copeland Barbie doll.

“I always dreamed of becoming an ABT ballerina and through Barbie I was able to play out those dreams early on,” says Copeland in a press release. “It’s an honor to be able to inspire the next generation of kids with my very own Barbie doll.”

The Barbie, which depicts Copeland dressed to dance Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird, was designed with specific physical features in mind.

“I was hands-on with making sure that she really looked like a dancer and looked like me,” Copeland told GMA’s Robin Roberts. “She has muscles, and calves, and thighs, and a bust. That was important to me.”

In the press release, Senior Vice President of Barbie Lisa McKnight says, “We want to honor women, like Misty, who are inspiring the next generation of girls to live out their dreams. We know role play often leads to real ‘play’ in life and we’re thrilled to celebrate Misty with her very own doll.”

Previous Barbie Sheroes include Zendaya and Ava DuVernay.

Image via Mattel/Getty.

 
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