Mattel unveils Helen Keller doll in Barbie’s Inspiring Women’s Series

Helen Keller has been added to the Barbie doll collection of inspiring women.

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Keller, an American author, political activist and champion for the rights of the disabled, becomes the 12th person honored by toy giant Mattel in the Barbie Inspiring Women series, the company said in a news release.

Keller who lost her sight and hearing when she was 19 months old in late 1881, joins Billie Jean King, Sally Ride, Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks, Ella Fitzgerald, Florence Nightingale, Amelia Earhart, Katherine Johnson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony and Frida Kahlo in the series,which began in 2018.

Lisa McKnight, Mattel’s senior vice president and global head of Barbie and dolls, said in a statement that the company was “excited” to welcome Keller into the collection.

“Representation comes in all forms and we recognize that the blind and low vision community is often overlooked, with their stories going untold,” McKnight said. “We hope that by introducing children to Helen Keller’s story of perseverance and determination, they will be inspired to dream bigger than ever before.”

The doll’s suggested retail price is $29.99, according to the Mattel website. The doll sports a striped skirt and ruffled blouse in a nod to Keller’s wardrobe during her days at Radcliffe College, where she graduated cum laude in 1904.

My favorite part of the design process for the Inspiring Women series is the research,” Carlyle Nuera, designer of the Keller doll, said in a news release. “Because of her achievement as the first deafblind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree, I wanted to capture that time in her life, imagining what she might have looked like and worn as a student at Radcliffe College in the very early 1900s. I found a few pictures of a young Helen during that time and combined that with research on women’s style during the Edwardian period.”

The doll comes with its own stand, and Keller is holding a book that is printed in Braille. According to the Mattel website, consumers will be limited to two dolls per purchase.

Keller retired from public life in 1961 after suffering a stroke, People reported. She died in 1968 at her home in Easton, Connecticut, at age 87.

“I’ve personally learned so much in depth about these women,” Nuera said in a statement. “These dolls shine a spotlight on these women’s achievements and can serve as a discovery tool for kids and adults to learn about them.”

Cox Media Group