I’m sure that you don’t need anyone to tell you 2020 has been an unusual year. It seems as if Mattel is now getting in on the act by adding a new addition to the Barbie collection. It is a Barbie that is celebrating Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead.
This special edition Barbie was introduced for last year’s Día de Muertos and it was a huge hit. They decided that they wouldn’t just confine it to a single year but she would be re-released for the annual event. Javier Meabe is the designer who tried to stick as closely as possible to the holiday tradition when creating the doll without going overboard.
“Adding new textures, fabrics, flowers, and a new dress silhouette were ways to introduce the new elements to the second doll while still keeping traditional elements that are important to the Día de Muertos celebration,” Meabe said in a press release. “Traditions like marigolds, skeleton details, and Calaveras makeup were elements that I knew we had to keep but introduce in a new way.”
According to Romper, the 2020 doll has a braided updo with flowers to match. She is wearing a lace hoop skirt with a floral pattern. The makeup is made to resemble the decorative skulls, known as Calaveras. They are typically part of the Día de Muertos. There is a slight difference from last year’s Barbie, who had 2 long braids with blue highlights.
Mattel tried its best to capture the festive nature of the holiday that is celebrated in Mexico. It is on that day that many believe the dead spirits return to their families. It starts on Halloween and lasts for 24 hours. The Mattel doll will be released on October 2 but it can already be preordered for $75.