Over the years, Barbie's family tree expanded and soon Barbie would have many diverse and multicultural friends. Among these was Teresa, who was depicted as being Latina. She appeared in 1988 in the California Dream line alongside Barbie, Ken, Christie and Midge.
Bless you @americaferrera for your amazing talent & representation | Barbie Movie. America Ferrera shines in the Barbie Movie's Gloria's Monologue, showcasing the struggles women face. Watch as she encapsulates the pressure to be extraordinary yet constantly criticized, all while being part of a sisterhood.
Yes, the relationship depicted between Ferrera's character and her daughter, Sasha (played by Ariana Greenblatt, who is of Puerto Rican descent), was moving, and it made our experience watching the film together even more powerful. We were thrilled to see Barbies of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities in the film.
Just as Rachel has been a popular name in the US for decades, Raquel and Raquelle are much-loved in Spanish-speaking countries, particularly Spain and Portugal.
Nikki was originally released as Skipper's first African American friend in 1996 as part of the "Teen Skipper" line and as the younger sister of Christie, one of Barbie's best friends.
Over the years, Barbie's family tree expanded and soon Barbie would have many diverse and multicultural friends. Among these was Teresa, who was depicted as being Latina. She appeared in 1988 in the California Dream line alongside Barbie, Ken, Christie and Midge (who made her comeback in this line as well).
“Pregnant Barbie” is actually Margaret Hadley Sherwood, or Midge, as her friends call her. Midge was created to be a less glam, more relatable Barbie, per Buzzfeed News. The doll was launched in 1963 as Barbie's bestie. She had freckles and red hair, and she wore less makeup than Barbie did.
Despite the consistent hate and negative spatter thrown at her, Bargeoise Brazil, real name Ennie Thembi Chabalala, plans to shut her “haters” up with new music she's set to drop in a few weeks.
"But anyway, I was calling myself the Harajuku Barbie because a lot of girls on MySpace at that time—this was when MySpace was really big—were calling themselves something Barbie and I wanted mine to be really unique and different," continued Nicki.
A few years ago, Mattel launched a Mexican Barbie that caused a negative reaction in the Hispanic community. This Latina Barbie is part of their Dolls of the World collection Barbie Dolls of the World that also includes dolls from Chile, Argentina, and Spain.
Renee Chao is one of Barbie's best friends. She is Chinese-American. She is a tomboy and a skater, she loves snacking at any time, and her favorite sport is basketball. She was introduced in 2016.
“I proposed to Greta a pink called Rosa Mexicano—it's a Mexican pink, a very specific color that to us in Mexico, we know it,” Prieto says. “So I was like, 'Greta, you've got to include Mexican pink in your movie! '” Now that's the Barbie spirit.
Yes, plump. Barbie's got a new body. Three new bodies, actually: petite, tall and curvy, in Mattel's exhaustively debated lexicon, and beginning Jan. 28 they will be sold alongside the original busty, thin-waisted form on Barbie.com.
Midge's run as the youthful, freckled sidekick has been sporadic and at times turbulent, with only a handful of releases in the '60s, before she resurfaced in the '80s and '90s. Then, a pregnant version of the doll was unceremoniously pulled from store shelves in 2002 amid fears she was promoting teen motherhood.
And it's true that, in 2016 – 57 years after Barbie's birth – Mattel finally released a 'curvy' Barbie doll in its 'Fashionistas' range. It even earned the brand a Time magazine cover.
Barbie's first Latina friend was Teresa Rivera, who debuted in 1988. “I wanted my name to be changed to Teresa because of the brunette Barbie doll,” Romero wrote.
For the 65th birthday, Mattel is offering new takes on three of Barbie's most popular careers over the years: farm vet, pop star, and astronaut. It also is releasing a 2024 Fashionistas collection that will reimagine iconic Barbie looks from 1959, 1977, 1985, and other years.
In conclusion, while Barbie 2023 is not overtly inappropriate for young children, the 12A rating indicates that the film incorporates some grown-up or sophisticated themes. These themes may not be fully understood by most young children, but they can still be appreciated and discussed with parental guidance.
The Christie doll is widely considered the first true African American doll in the Barbie line. She was introduced in the midst of the civil rights movement, when critics chided Mattel for failing to represent the diversity in America.
In 1968, Mattel created Christie. Christie had the same body as Barbie so that their clothes were interchangeable. But her face was a new design intended to highlight the facial features of a Black woman. Many consider Christie to be the first “Black Barbie.” Christie was part of a series of talking dolls.
Raquelle is a fair-skinned young woman with long wavy black hair and brown eyes. She is the same size and body type as Barbie, allowing her to borrow Barbie's clothes as needed. Her signature outfit is a golden coat with a white shirt and a black, frilly skirt.
