The company behind Barbie and Ken has released a new range of gender-neutral dolls, “designed to keep labels out and invite everyone in”.
Retailing for $44.99, Mattel's 'Creatable World' line of dolls don't feature Barbie's exaggerated gendered features - such as large breasts or broad shoulders. Instead, they come with short cropped hair and a wig for accessorising.
According to Time magazine, Mattel says the dolls are based on research spanning 250 different families, in which 15 children identified either trans or non-binary.
Mattel’s head of consumer insights, Monica Dreger, said the dolls were a step towards greater inclusivity for the brand.
"There were a couple of gender-creative kids who told us that they dreaded Christmas Day because they knew whatever they got under the Christmas tree, it wasn’t made for them,” she told Time.
“This is the first doll that you can find under the tree and see is for them because it can be for anyone.”
While the gender-neutral dolls will be sure to rile up conservative buyers, Mattel president Richard Dickson insists that they weren't created to make a political statement.
“We’re not in the business of politics,” he said.
“And we respect the decision any parent makes around how they raise their kids.
“Our job is to stimulate imaginations. Our toys are ultimately canvases for cultural conversation, but it’s your conversation, not ours; your opinion, not ours.”
US LGBTIQ+ organisation GLAAD took to social media to celebrate the new dolls, tweeting: “So many children and parents never saw themselves represented in toys and dolls, but this new line raises the bar for inclusion thanks to input from parents, physicians and children themselves."
Ever since the world was first introduced to Barbie dolls back in 1959, Mattel has faced criticism for reinforcing traditional gender stereotypes - a perception the company has actively been challenging in recent years.
There's been a 'love wins' same-sex marriage activist Barbie, a gender-bending David Bowie inspired Barbie, a Barbie with a prosthetic leg, as well as a Barbie inspired by bisexual boxer Nicola Adams.
