Lionesses striker becomes first women's footballer to be made into figurine ahead of Women's World Cup

With just days to go until the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, England forward Beth Mead has become the first female footballer to be made into a limited edition mini-figurine.

Inspired by the iconic 'Corinthians big heads' collectables, Mead and restaurant chain McDonald’s revealed the nostalgic toy at the National Football Museum earlier this week as part of the 'Batteries Not Included' Exhibition that celebrates some of the world's most loved football toys throughout the ages.

On the limited edition figured, Mead said: "It’s incredible to see a mini me in the National Football Museum. It is truly amazing to be the first ever women’s player to have their own ‘Big Head’.

"It feels really special, for this figurine to be joining football memorabilia through the ages and hopefully this is just the start of seeing more football collectables from the Women’s game. I can’t wait to get my figurine into the hands of fans across the country in time for the World Cup”.

The ‘Big Head’ football figurines, which soured to popularity at the turn of the millennium, had seen over 1000 individual male figurines created for fans to collect over the years, however, there has never been a single women’s player - until now.

The first of its kind, the Arsenal striker was turned into a mini-figurine after when McDonald's pointed to a lack substantial lack of women’s football memorabilia developed around major tournaments. Only 10,000 will be made available to the public.

And the design was approved Craig Robinson, a ‘Big Head’ expert and Head of the Corinthian archive, who said: “As a world leading expert on Football figures I am thrilled to finally see a women’s figure released, which is none other than history maker Beth Mead, who will take pride of place in my collection next to Bobby Moore. I can’t wait to get my hands on the first ever women’s ‘Big Head’ and add it to my collection.”

Want to get your hands on one of your own? The limited-edition figurines will be given out to football fans across the country during the tournament’s key fixtures this summer and fans can find out where they can pick one up by keeping an eye on McDonald’s social channels throughout the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ 2023.