Last year since the Covid emergency started, Mattel started a program called #ThankYouHeroes to honor all those frontline medical workers battling against the pandemic as well as everyday heroes trying to help out around the world. The brand came up with special edition products from some of their most successful branches, which donated a percentage of their sales to different associations.
Now, Barbie, one of their most popular franchises, has announced a new collection belonging to the #ThankYouHeroes program, which will raise funds for the First Responders Children’s Foundation (an association that benefits the children of first responders).
“To shine a light on their efforts, we are sharing their stories and leveraging Barbie’s platform to inspire the next generation to take after these heroes and give back. Our hope is to nurture and ignite the imaginations of children playing out their own storyline as heroes.” -Lisa McKnight, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Barbie & Dolls, Mattel.
Barbie has been celebrating role models and careers over the past years and has now over 200 careers represented in their iconic dolls. Their idea is to encourage children to become anything they want and learn about inspiring stories that make a difference in society.
With this in mind, for this new line of the #ThankYouHeroes program, Barbie is launching a series of dolls inspired by relevant women who have worked tirelessly to tackle the Covid-19 world emergency. The collection portrays six role models who have made a huge impact in their communities and the world in different areas fighting the pandemic. These are Barbie’s new six heroes:
Amy O’Sullivan:
Sullivan is an Emergency Room nurse known for treating the first Covid-19 patient in New York. She works at the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn. Sullivan became ill and was eventually intubated. After recovering, she went back to her work and kept treating patients.
Dr. Audrey Sue Cruz:
This doctor has been working in Las Vegas, Nevada, since the beginning of the pandemic. However, she stood out because she joined forces with Asian-American physicians to fight against the racial discrimination outburst that came along with the pandemic.
Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa:
Oriwa is a Canadian psychiatry resident in Toronto. Like Dr. Audrey Sue Cruz, Oriwa has become a major advocate against racism, especially in the healthcare industry. The increase in discrimination towards people of Asian ascent has been notorious due to the pandemic, and Oriwa has fought endlessly against it.
Professor Sarah Gilbert:
Gilbert is a professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. She’s been one of the professionals who worked in the development of the AstraZeneca vaccine that’s been applied all over the world.
Dr. Jaqueline Goes de Jesus:
This Brazilian doctor specializes in biomedical research. One of her main achievements during the pandemic is her leadership in the sequencing of the genome of the Gamma variant in Brazil.
Dr. Kirby White:
Lastly, White is a general doctor in Australia who co-founded an initiative known as Gowns for Doctors. This initiative created a special medical gown that can be laundered and re-use; it decreases the number of equipment and allows doctors to keep seeing patients.
Besides this gorgeous set of inspiring female leaders during the emergency, Barbie is also launching a special playset called the Fast Cast Clinic that has four play areas including a medical station, an exam table, an x-ray machine, and a gift shop.
Photos from TW: @Barbie
