The Academy Award-winning actress Helen Mirren got the most beautiful and the most unexpected surprise from the well-known American toy manufacturing company Mattel to celebrate International Women’s Day.

To honor the doll’s 65th anniversary on International Women’s Day, Mattel released the 78-year-old’s Helen Mirren Barbie.

Helen Mirren is honored with a Barbie for International Women’s Day

Image credits: The Mega Agency / Vida Press

Helen Mirren is a British actress and has a career spanning 60 years. She is the recipient of numerous accolades and is the only performer to have achieved both the American and the British Triple Crowns of Acting. Her Barbie doll has a miniature Oscar, which is a nod to the statuette she received in 2007 for her portrayal of the late Queen Elizabeth.

“I am absolutely blown away by my Barbie. To be chosen by Barbie as a Role Model is a huge compliment, and something I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams happening to me at this stage in my life,” said the actress. “It’s a very special thing, and something I can add to my list of my favorite achievements; becoming a Dame of the British Empire, having an Oscar, having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame – and having my own Barbie!”

To be chosen by Barbie as a Role Model was a huge compliment for Helen Mirren

Image credits: The Mega Agency / Vida Press

The doll will join 7 other women who made an impact worldwide and will stand out with Helen’s best-ever red carpet look: mesmerizing blue hair and a blue gown made by Del Core. “The intricacy and detail of the doll is extraordinary; I love that the Barbie doll is wearing one of my favorite ever red carpet looks, and it was the first time I’d ever had blue hair, and it felt so exciting,” Helen couldn’t hold back her joy.

Since 2015, Barbie has been creating diverse role models, both modern-day and historical, who break boundaries in their fields

Image credits: The Mega Agency / Vida Press

Helen Mirren walking the Cannes Film Festival red carpet in ocean-blue hair and a blue gown made by Del Core

Image credits: Doug Peters/PA

“I like to embrace theatrical fashion and the joy that having fun with fashion can bring, and I think that this joy should be ageless. And the cherry on top of the cake is my doll having a miniature Oscar. It is an absolutely perfect reproduction,” she added. 

This year Helen Mirren became 1 of Barbie’s 8 Role Model Dolls

Image credits: The Mega Agency / Vida Press

When someone says “Barbie”, there’s usually an instant image in our heads of a perfect-looking doll that so many of us loved to play with. She is the most popular fashion doll ever produced and has 99% brand awareness globally. Since her first appearance on March 9, in 1959, Barbie has been a muse to many artists over the past six decades, including Peter Max and Andy Warhol. Barbie was so much more than just a doll for little girls: she became a fashion archetype, a role model, who transformed and impacted entire lives.

It’s important to mention that besides being the most successful doll company, Mattel has also long faced criticism over its unrealistic depiction of women, with its thin-waisted, big-busted female dolls, and its lack of cultural diversity.

Socality Barbie successfully used the doll to satirize social media life

Image credits: socalitybarbie

Therefore, Mattel had to step towards and create a more diverse range of dolls. The 2016 line of Barbies already came in four body types: original, tall, petite, and curvy. “Imagination comes in all shapes and sizes. That’s why the world of Barbie is evolving,” announced the company’s new slogan. The 2016 Barbie Fashionista line included seven skin tones, 22 eye colors, 24 hairstyles and many different fashion accessories.

Image credits: barbiemedia

Since 2015, Barbie has been on a very important mission to honor diverse role models, both modern-day and historical, who break boundaries in their fields to inspire the next generation of girls.

To date, Barbie has created 60 role models and is committed to showing girls more role models by honoring a minimum of 10 each year. Here are the examples from the past 2 years:

2024

• Viola Davis (United States) – Critically Revered Artist, Activist, Producer, Philanthropist, and Best-Selling Author
• Shania Twain (Canada) – Global Superstar, Celebrated Songwriter, and Style Icon
• Dame Helen Mirren (United Kingdom) – Acclaimed Actress and Advocate for Women’s Stories
• Kylie Minogue (Australia) – Artist
• Maira Gomez (Brazil) – Content Creator
• Lila Avilés (Mexico) – Director, Producer, and Screenwriter
• Nicole Fujita (Japan) – Model
• Enissa Amani (Germany) – Comedian

2023

• Susan Wojcicki (United States) – Longtime YouTube CEO
• Anne Wojcicki (United States) – Co-Founder and CEO of 23andME
• Janet Wojcicki (United States) – Professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology at UCSF
• Katya Echazarreta (Mexico) – Electrical Engineer and Science Show Host
• Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock (United Kingdom) – Space Scientist and Science Educator
• Dr. Antje Boetius (DE) – Marine Researcher and Microbiologist
• Yinuo Li (China) – Co-Founder of ETU Education

Ruth Handler created the first Barbie doll, which went on the market in 1959

Image credits: wikipedia.org

Ruth Handler blew away the entire toy industry when she invented Barbie: a doll with the proportions of an adult female. In the early 1950s, Ruth had the revolutionary idea that playing with dolls modelled on grown-up women would help girls imagine what they might be when they grew up. Every girl imagines she can be anything in the world, but by actually seeing the example, she can make all the difference. And what can be a greater honor than becoming one of those inspiring examples for all the young girls in the entire world? I’m sure that Helen Mirren’s fascinating ocean-blue hair Barbie will definitely have success.

People congratulated Helen Mirren from all over the world

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