There was a line of Fisher-Price frontline worker action figures that were released last year by Mattel in an effort to honor the essential workers and medical professionals who were responsible for getting us through the worst of the pandemic.
The action figures were part of Mattel’s #ThankYouHeroes line in which a portion of the profits were given away to charity.
And now, Mattel has a new campaign that features six specific healthcare workers who’ve been on the frontlines since the start of the pandemic.
As the Nerdist reports, the figures will be:
– Amy O’Sullivan, a New York emergency room nurse who treated Brooklyn’s first COVID-19 patient, contracted the virus herself, and continued caring for patients following her recovery.
– Dr. Audrey Sue Cruz, a Las Vegas doctor who has used her social media network as a platform to fight back against disinformation as well as racism against the AAPI population.
– Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa, a University of Toronto psychiatry resident who is raising awareness about systemic racism within the healthcare system.
– Vaccinology professor Sarah Gilbert, who was responsible for the creation of the University of Oxford’s vaccine.
– Dr. Jaqueline Goes de Jesus, a Brazilian biomedical researcher who, alongside others, managed to sequence the genome of a COVID-19 variant.
– Dr. Kirby White, an Australian doctor who invented a reusable surgical gown that is washable in order to combat the PPE shortage.
These dolls will not be for sale. However, there are other healthcare Barbies available, such as a paramedic, a doctor, and a nurse.
For each one of these that is purchased at Target from now till the 28th of August, Mattel will donate $5 to the First Responders Children’s Foundation, which is an organization dedicated to helping care for the children of first responders.
As the president of FRCF, Jillian Crane, stated, “This exciting new partnership with Mattel, Barbie, and Target will support our Power of Play program, which focuses on the social, emotional, and behavioral wellbeing of children. These special Barbie dolls give children the opportunity to role-play with everyday heroes who show up for us in emergencies 365 days a year.”