One of the world’s top conservationists has inspired Barbie’s latest makeover!
Barbie is going green witha new doll modeledafterDr. Jane Goodall, which Mattel is releasing Tuesday ahead of World Chimpanzee Day. According to the company, Goodall’s Barbie doll is made of 90 percent recycled plastic that otherwise would have been bound for the ocean.
The 88-year-old researcher tells PEOPLE she is “absolutely delighted” to see herself as a Barbie doll, something she long hoped for. Goodall says she wants her Barbie to “inspire little girls” everywhere.
“So many people know about Jane because I’m in their school textbooks, and they learn about me at school,” she says, “so I think they’ll be thrilled to be given a Barbie Jane.”
Lisa McKnight, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Barbie and Dolls at Mattel, said in a statement that the company is “excited to unveil” the new doll.
A look at Barbie’s new Jane Goodall doll and her accessories.Mattel
“Kids need more role models like Dr. Jane Goodall because imagining they can be anything is just the beginning – seeing it makes all the difference,” said McKnight.
“We hope this collection and homage to a groundbreaking pioneer for women in science inspires girls to learn more about green careers, how they can protect the planet, and act out sustainable stories in their doll play,” she added.
Jane Goodall poses with her new Barbie doll.Courtesy of the Jane Goodall Institute
Each doll will come with various items, including a pair of binoculars, a field notebook and a miniature replica of David Greybeard, the first male chimpanzee Goodall named and befriended at Gombe National Park in Tanzania.
Goodall, who is celebrating the 62ndanniversary of her first trip to the park, tells PEOPLE she offered her input on the finer details of the doll and hopes they will encourage girls to think beyond gender norms.
Michael Neugebauer/Courtesy of the Jane Goodall Institute
“The Barbie dolls originally, the ones I saw my little girls playing with, they were very girly,” she says. “And I thought, ‘Well, we want to change that!'”
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Mattel is also entering a global partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute and its global youth Roots & Shoots program. According to itswebsite, the program allows children to feel “empowered to use their voice and actions to make compassionate decisions, influencing and leading change in their communities.”
Through Barbie, Goodall says, the message about climate change “will go far and wide.” It’s an issue “everybody can get involved” with, she adds.
Courtesy of the Jane Goodall Institute
“Every day, you can make choices in how you behave,” she tells PEOPLE. For example, eating less meat “is a huge, huge benefit to the environment,” though eating no meat is preferable, Goodall says.
Goodall is the latest woman to be honored as part of Barbie’s Inspiring Women Series. The collection paid tribute to Ida B. Wells earlier this year and figures such asDr. Maya Angelou,Helen KellerandEleanor Rooseveltin 2021.
Barbie said the women honored as part of the series “made the world a better place for future generations of girls.”
Goodall will also be honored in a special episode of Barbie’sYou Can Be Anythingseries.
source: people.com
