Mattel unveils new Filipina 'Barbie' doll

 

The new Barbie is Magandang Morena. 🇵🇭

Mattel releases a Filipina-inspired Barbie designed by Barbie Signature Lead Designer Carlyle Nuera, who is a Filipino American.

The doll features elements from Filipino heritage including batok tattoos, gold-tipped janggay fingers, malong-inspired skirt, and Bahay Kubo heels!

"For the Styled By Design series, each designer chooses where they wanna take their doll creatively and ob korsss I had to look to the motherland for inspiration. I could have designed anything but I knew this was an opportunity to do something meaningful for my people in the spirit of representation," Nuera posted on Instagram.

"Being Filipino is my most foundational identity. I’ve always been proud to be Filipino, and that’s thanks to my family, my parents, siblings, cousins, aunts & uncles, the way we grew up. And now, being connected to & a part of the larger Filipino-American community, I am sooo hyped for this Barbie to finally be out in the world and hopefully make the anaks feel seen, represented, inspired and proud."

Nuera elevates traditional Filipino fashion into the realm of haute couture, paying homage to his Asian American heritage with this spectacular Barbie doll. From the radiant crown of the Philippine sun and fingers that sparkle with elegant gold janggay jewelry, to the intricate bahay kubo designs featured on her bakya platforms, Carlyle’s Barbie doll is radiant from head to toe.

Nuera's Instagram post continued:

"I kinda think of this new Filipina Barbie as the second coming of my Mutya Barbie from 2015, as if Mutya Barbie is the demure, responsible Ate and this new Barbie is the lil sis that always be galabanting (so, me lol). Ate Mutya Barbie even let lil sis borrow her jewelry; this new Barbie wears the exact same bracelet as Mutya Barbie! We had to recreate the mold at the factory, but I wanted a link between the two dolls that are such bright spots in my career. Mutya Barbie really changed the trajectory of my career and made me realize the power & platform I have as a designer, especially for an enduring global icon like Barbie. So I wanted to build upon all of that with my Styled By Design Barbie. And for her to be released in October during Filipino American History Month? Hellllloooooo synchronicity 🙏🏽"

The intricate details of the new Filipina Barbie includes jewelry on her wrists and fingers (left)  and the Bahay Kubo platform shoes (below).

As Nuera says, this is the first Filipina Barbie. There have been earlier models that included the first  Mutya Barbie, from the classic Maria Clara to the modern Filipina. There is even a doll of a Filipina American doctor honoring and acknowledging the role Filipinos play in the US health system.

There was a time when finding a doll that reflected people of color was nearly impossible. A diversifying marketplace and social demands caused dollmakers to fulfill that need. 

Filipino children and/or doll collectors now have a new doll that looks like them.

The new Magandang Moreno (Beautifully Brown) Barbie supply is limited. Starting price is $100.

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