The move follows other doll lines that have rejected old-school stereotypes in 2015, including the average-sized Lammily doll, the science-loving Project MC crew, and a line of Lego minifigs that work as engineers and mechanics.
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Moschino and Barbie recently announced their partnership on the highly anticipated collector Moschino Barbie doll, which comes with an eight-piece ready-to-wear Moschino collection.
If they are mostly a way to have fun, Barbie’s impossible measurements and heavy interest in fashion over book smarts may seem less threatening.
In what may be a first for Mattel (MAT), a recent advertisement for a limited edition Barbie features a little boy. Moschino is a fashion brand, and the boy in the Barbie commercial bears more than a passing resemblance to the company’s creative director.
“When I dreamed up the concept for the Moschino Barbie fauxmercial, I felt it was natural to have a little boy representing for all the little boys like myself who played with Barbies growing up”, Scott said in an emailed statement. “The thing I love most about Barbie is that she is the ultimate muse”, he enthuses.
Times have changed and it is the right time to let the world know that Barbies are not only for girls. “Thank you for this”, another wrote underneath.
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Already, the ad is resonating very well with the male audience, many of whom recollect struggling with the stereotype of “boys-don’t-play-with-dolls”. True, her body is still unrealistically proportioned, but it’s at least progress in Barbie (baby) steps.
