International Women’s Day: Kylie, Viola Davies, Helen Mirren & Shania Twain get Barbie dolls in their likeness

Toy company Mattel celebrates its 65th anniversary on March 9 and to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8 the brand has launched a new range of celebrity inspired Barbie dolls. The new ‘Role Model’ Barbie designs are based on successful women such as Aussie pop star Kylie Minogue, EGOT prize winner Viola Davies, Academy Award winner Helen Mirren and country music superstar Shania Twain.

Kylie, who recently performed at the Brits and won the Global icon award, shared an image on her Instagram wearing a red dress with her matching Barbie doll. She wrote: “Look at Padam Barbie!!!! Baby Kylie would NOT believe this is happening right now …. Thank you.” 

Shania Twain also shared her excitement on social media. She wrote: “Ladies and gentlemen... I am honoured to be recognised as a Barbie role model - I have my own one-of-a-kind Barbie doll!! Pinch me!!"

"All I’ve wanted to do my whole life is tell stories of empowerment, independence and self-expression through my song writing, getting to do that and inspire women and girls along the way is the dream... everything else is a beautiful bonus! It means a lot to expand my responsibility as a role model into the Barbie world, thank you @barbie and Mattel for creating this reflection of me. I love her!!"

The other notable women from around the world with dolls made for the occasion include Brazilian content creator Maira Gomez, Mexican filmmaker Lila Avilés, Japanese model and TV personality Nicole Fujita and German comedian activist Enissa Amani.

Mattel executive Kim Culmone told People: “Girls in particular need to be able to see women telling their own stories, writing their own narratives, living out their own dreams, and we’re happy to honour these women in celebration of Barbie’s 65th.”

Despite fans' excitement over the new Barbie dolls, they are not for sale. According to the publication: “The one-of-a-kind dolls, which were created especially for the role models, will not be sold in stores, but instead are given to each woman as a gesture of gratitude for the work they've done.”

Natalie Dixon is NationalWorld’s Lifestyle reporter. If you liked this article and want to read more about celebrities, fashion and beauty you can follow Natalie Dixon on X (Twitter) here.