Mattel immortalise Dr Maya Angelou with Barbie doll
The premier doll-making company has created dolls that have served as inspiration for decades, while making sure they represent the times with their inclusive and diverse role models.
Barbie dolls are some of the earliest imagery a child interacts with.
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Little girls are given dolls to play with before they can even walk or talk properly.
That's why inclusivity, diversity, and representation is so important when designing these toys.
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From a very young age, children learn one of two things: either they see themselves in these dolls and they feel normal and accepted, or they do not see themselves in these dolls and feel excluded.
Luckily, throughout the years they have been producing dolls, Barbie has gone from creating only one type of doll (bleach blonde and skinny) to expanding their range to include Barbie having various occupations, different body shapes, as well as different races.
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Slowly but surely they have created an inclusive and inspiring range of dolls.
That's been made even more evident with The Inspiring Women™ Series.
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According to the Barbie website, the series "pays tribute to incredible heroines of their time; courageous women who took risks, changed rules, and paved the way for generations of girls to dream bigger than ever before."
It comes as no real surprise then that the latest doll to join the range, among the likes of Rosa Parks and Florence Nightingale, is the one-and-only Dr Maya Angelou.
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The doll has been sculpted to resembles the icon, with the face really representing her likeness, and she is dressed in a beautiful dress with a floral print and matching head wrap.
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Angelou was a formidable woman.
A writer, author, activist, and teacher, she had over 50 honorary doctorates, won countless awards, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama, and a National Book Award nomination for her autobiography, 'I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings'.
My mother was a pioneer and an activist with an invincible spirit for justice. Through her words and actions, she developed a unique ability to create deep connections with people around the world. She used to say, ‘I write from the black perspective, but I aim for the human heart.
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Clearly, she is one of the best examples of an inspirational woman!
Most importantly, hopefully, with this doll now also part of Maya's legacy, she will only continue to inspire and influence people's lives.
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Main image courtesy of Barbie/Mattel.com