{"id":1987,"date":"2016-02-05T13:00:28","date_gmt":"2016-02-05T13:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/?p=1987"},"modified":"2023-06-27T10:12:08","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T10:12:08","slug":"significant-change-for-the-barbie-brand-barbie-now-has-a-new-range-of-body-types","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/2016\/02\/significant-change-for-the-barbie-brand-barbie-now-has-a-new-range-of-body-types\/","title":{"rendered":"Significant Change For the Barbie Brand: Barbie Now Has a New Range of Body Types!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>This is some fun product news! Mattel has finally answered the global demand for dolls, which reflect real women\u2019s bodies. The brand will now offer a variety of Barbies, with different body shapes and sizes, as well as a range of skin and hair colors.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/2016\/02\/significant-change-for-the-barbie-brand-barbie-now-has-a-new-range-of-body-types\/#1_The_new_Barbie_body_shapes\" >1. The new Barbie body shapes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/2016\/02\/significant-change-for-the-barbie-brand-barbie-now-has-a-new-range-of-body-types\/#2_Why_Mattel_decided_to_change_its_iconic_product\" >2. Why Mattel decided to change its iconic product<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/2016\/02\/significant-change-for-the-barbie-brand-barbie-now-has-a-new-range-of-body-types\/#3_Why_it_is_good_branding\" >3. Why it is good branding<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_The_new_Barbie_body_shapes\"><\/span>1. The new Barbie body shapes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The company launched a new line of Barbie dolls on January 28th, featuring several different body styles. From now on, children will be able to play with the original Barbie, but also a tall, petite and curvy version of it. In total, there will be 4 body types, 7 skin colors, 22 eye colors and 24 types of hairstyles. This is by far the biggest change for Barbie since she first appeared on shelves in 1959.<\/p>\n<div class=\"thebr-posts-end-2\" style=\"text-align: center;\" id=\"thebr-2508203439\"><div id=\"thebr-856045234\"><a class=\"advanced-image\" href=\"https:\/\/edu.thebrandingjournal.com\/ultimate-brand-building-system-marketers?utm_source=website&#038;utm_medium=banner&#038;utm_campaign=course_articles&#038;utm_content=blue_arrow\" data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n    <picture>\r\n        <source media=\"(max-width: 991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/TBJ-Brand-Building-System-Blue-Arrow-300x250-1.gif\" type=\"image\"\/>\r\n        <source media=\"(min-width: 992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/TBJ-Brand-Building-System-Blue-Arrow-600-x-300.gif\" type=\"image\"\/>\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"banner\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/TBJ-Brand-Building-System-Blue-Arrow-600-x-300.gif\" alt=\"Course image\"\/>\r\n    <\/picture>\r\n<\/a>\r\n<\/div><\/div><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Why_Mattel_decided_to_change_its_iconic_product\"><\/span>2. Why Mattel decided to change its iconic product<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The decision came after decades of concerns that the doll\u2019s exaggeratedly thin body shape pushes girls to meet an impossible beauty standard.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Barbie introduces three realistic body types: tall, curvy, and petite\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/295zF0M3vAg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>At the same time, other independent brands were offering dolls with human sizes, proving that there is a demand for dolls that defy the body molds of the Barbies and Disney princesses.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Some examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>The Lammily doll, with the body proportions of an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lammily.com\/about\/\">average 19-year-old woman<\/a>, was a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lammily.com\/about\/\">crowdfunding success story<\/a>\u00a0in 2014.<\/li>\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s\/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;field-brandtextbin=Lottie&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;node=165793011&amp;tag=thecommunic03-20\">Lottie<\/a> doll\u00a0has a realistic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lottie.com\/pages\/about\">9-year-old child<\/a> body shape and has received\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lottie.com\/pages\/awards\">more than 20<\/a>\u00a0international toy awards since 2012. It is now available in\u00a030 countries.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Why_it_is_good_branding\"><\/span>3. Why it is good branding<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Mattel has finally started to listen its consumers; the change was inevitable for the brand\u2019s survival in today\u2019s market. The company is showing that all types of women can be beautiful, from curvy, to tall and petite body types, and that like real women, Barbie doesn\u2019t have to fit one narrow standard.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Matell\u2019s move shows its willingness to respond to critics by taking their concerns on board and answer to the market\u2019s demands. I believe that this was a smart move, as the gatekeepers (parents) will finally feel better purchasing a doll with a healthier and more realistic physique.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>However, this does not mean the doll will be free of any future criticism. The brand still emphasizes beauty, fashion and physical appearance, above other potential interests. Although some Barbies are career-focused, the brand should offer more passion-related dolls in a variety of domains (sports, nature, science, business, IT, literature, etc), to prove that Barbies are for anyone \u2013 physically and mentally.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>References: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2016\/01\/28\/living\/barbie-new-body-feat\/\">CNN<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/posteverything\/wp\/2016\/02\/01\/a-barbie-with-curves-is-still-all-about-looks\/\">Washington Post<br \/>\n<\/a><\/em><em><strong>Pictures from: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2016\/01\/28\/living\/barbie-new-body-feat\/\">CNN<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This is some fun product news! Mattel has finally answered the global demand for dolls, which reflect real&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1990,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"This is some fun product news! Barbie has finally answered the global demand for dolls, which reflect real women\u2019s bodies. The brand will now offer a variety of Barbies, with different body shapes and sizes, as well as a range of skin and hair colors.","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[58,4,106],"tags":[475,476,13,478,477,120],"ppma_author":[742],"class_list":{"0":"post-1987","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brand-positioning","8":"category-news","9":"category-product","10":"tag-barbie","11":"tag-body-types","12":"tag-branding","13":"tag-evolution","14":"tag-new","15":"tag-product-2","16":"cs-entry","17":"cs-video-wrap"},"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":58,"label":"Brand Positioning"},{"value":4,"label":"News"},{"value":106,"label":"Product"}],"post_tag":[{"value":475,"label":"barbie"},{"value":476,"label":"body 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