Barbie’s new Kristi Yamaguchi doll represents the Asian American Olympic gold medallist figure skater and adds to a growing collection of dolls inspired by or designed in collaboration with trailblazing Asian women
This month Barbie announced the latest addition to its Inspiring Women doll collection as it recognises Olympic athlete Kristi Yamaguchi, the first Asian American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating.
Barbie’s Inspiring Women series “pays tribute to courageous women who took risks, changed rules and paved the way for generations of girls to dream bigger than ever before” according to the Mattel website.
Yamaguchi joins a collection of dolls that includes tributes to Cuban singer Celia Cruz; conservationist Jane Goodall; the first-ever female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation Wilma Mankiller; American entrepreneur, philanthropist and activist Madam C.J. Walker; journalist, educator and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells, and writer and activist Maya Angelou.
Increasingly, Barbie has been adding representations of Asian women to its collections, or working with them in the creation of its dolls. Here are five Barbies inspired by or created in collaboration with Asian women.
1. Kristi Yamaguchi Barbie doll
The first Asian American woman to win a gold medal in figure skating at the Olympic Games, Kristi Yamaguchi is not only a pioneer on ice. The athlete is also a best-selling author of children’s books, including Dream Big, Little Pig, and an advocate for early childhood literacy.
The Barbie Inspiring Women Kristi Yamaguchi doll was released to mark Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Heritage Month in May 2024, and is decked out in the black leotard and accompanying golden hair ribbon that the skater wore on the ice in Albertville, France, where she clinched her gold medal at the 1992 Winter Olympic Games.
See also: 19 Asian women in sport to know