Mattel honors Olympic skater Kristi Yamaguchi with her own inspiring Barbie doll

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Figure skating legend Kristi Yamaguchi has landed a new accolade —a Barbie doll created in her honor. The commemorative doll coincides with both Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in May and the lead-up to the Paris Summer Olympics.

 

 

Mattel, the iconic toymaker behind Barbie, designed the doll under its Inspiring Women series. This distinction celebrates Yamaguchi’s achievements not only on the ice, where she was the first Asian American woman to claim Olympic gold in figure skating (Albertville, 1992), but also for her work beyond competition. Yamaguchi is a two-time World Champion and a tireless advocate for early childhood literacy through her organization, Always Dream.

 

 

The doll captures Yamaguchi’s iconic look from the 1992 Olympics, featuring a replica of her black and gold leotard and a signature gold hair bow.

 

 

 

“It’s a huge, huge honor,” Yamaguchi remarks to The Associated Press. She expresses pride in being recognized during AAPI Heritage Month, following a lineage of inspiring Barbie honorees like actress Anna May Wong.

 

The figure skating figure is now available for preorders, with a retail price of $35.

 

 

• https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/kristi-yamaguchi-barbie-doll-19420317.php 
• https://apnews.com/article/barbie-kristi-yamaguchi-asian-american-05138c29e0996592f5e5a052980b8c9a 
• https://people.com/kristi-yamaguchi-gets-inspiring-woman-barbie-for-aapi-heritage-month-exclusive-8636681 

 

 

Images: Mattel Creations