A new Barbie doll has been designed for preschool-aged children and is available at major retailers.
Barbie and Mattel announced Thursday in a news release that they have released a new line of dolls, called My First Barbie, which is designed with preschool-aged children in mind.
“The insights we gain from Barbie’s open dialogue with parents is essential to our evolution, and the My First Barbie line is a perfect example of this approach in action,” Lisa McKnight, Mattel’s executive vice president and global head of Barbie and dolls said in the news release. “From our research, we saw an opportunity to broaden our line with an offering specifically tailored to preschool-aged children to meet parents’ desire to introduce preschoolers to Barbie with a dedicated line. My First Barbie doll’s larger and softer sculpt, easy-to-dress fashions and accessories and younger features will welcome even more children to play out any story they can dream of.”
The doll has a full line of dolls and accessories, according to the news release. The dolls are also available in four different skin tones.
The dolls have similar features to the other Barbie dolls but have bigger accessories and are easier to dress. The dolls are also larger and softer.
My First Barbie is about 13.5 inches tall which is about two inches taller than the traditional Barbie, according to The Associated Press. Her fashion is more kid-like, with hearts, stars and flower designs on pajamas, dresses and swim attire.
“The launch of My First Barbie was born from insights we gained from parents, as we are always talking to families about what they are looking for to best suit their needs,” Tasja Kirkwood, Mattel’s vice president of global consumer insights, said in the news release. “Through this research, we discovered a whitespace. Parents had a desire to introduce their preschool-aged children to Barbie but were planning to wait until they were older with more developed dexterity.
“This insight led to the exploration of the first Barbie doll designed specifically for preschool-aged children, enabling Barbie to reach even more parents and children with the Barbie system of play. Our research and feedback from parents was essential to creating a Barbie line that could not be better suited for little hands and preschool fans.”
The cost for My First Barbie starts at $19.99, according to Mattel.