Barbie adds new body shapes: Tall, petite, curvy

Jan 28, 2016

Mattel has announced that its line of Barbie toys will be coming out in new shapes with various skin tones, in order to reflect the more diverse looks of the girls who play with Barbies.

Over the past two years, the toymaker has been putting Barbie through a transformation in order to reflect more realistic body standards, and last year, Mattel put forward 23 new dolls with different skin tones, reports USA Today.

This year, the difference is in shape, with the dolls coming in three new sizes of tall, petite and curvy. This is a huge change from the normally stick figure-thin Barbie that has been the only body type available since the creation of the doll.

Spokeswoman Michelle Chidoni said that the changes were meant to allow “the product line to be a better reflection of what girls see in the world around them.”

“We believe we have a responsibility to girls and parents to reflect a broader view of beauty,” said Evelyn Mazzocco, senior vice president and global general manager of Barbie, in a company statement.

The new dolls will start to hit the shelves on March 1, and a total of 33 different dolls will be added to the Barbie collection by the end of the year.