Posted on January 20, 2021 at 7:58 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
Mattel has added Maya Angelou to its line of Inspiring Women Barbie dolls, but good luck getting your hands on one.
The Guardian reports that the $29.99 doll is already sold out online — further confirmation, if needed, that the author was a wise choice for the company.
Angelou’s son, Guy Johnson, applauded the decision in a statement, saying that he hopes the Barbie modeled after his mother “will inspire new generations of teachers, writers and activists.”
The Barbie comes with a small copy of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the autobiography that launched Angelou to literary fame.
Mattel, which has already honored such icons as Rosa Parks, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frida Kahlo with dolls, also pledged that going forward, “more than 50% of global role models featured will be Black, Indigenous and women of color.”
Angelou, who died in 2014, wrote and delivered a poem for US President Bill Clinton’s inauguration, elegized South African President Nelson Mandela by request of the US State Department, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Check out pictures of the Angelou Barbie, along with more comments from the manufacturer and her son, at TODAY.
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Categories: Today in Books