Malaika Mohambo Barbie Doll

Barbie dolls in their line Barbie Role Models, a line dedicated to building female models in an effort to close the so-called “dream gap”, a moment in the lives of girls when, due to social pressure, they begin to doubt that they are capable to be what they set out to be.

A few days before the commemoration of International Women's Day, the American toy company Barbie launched a series of sports-inspired dolls that celebrate female role models.

The launch of the company is part of the Sheroes initiative, which pays tribute to outstanding women in different fields and the Dream Gap Project. Barbie's Dream Gap, explained by the company as a gap that exists between girls and their potential in fields that have traditionally been occupied by men, and the company seeks to share stories of women from different occupations to encourage I encourage the girls of the world to be whatever they want to be.

Tokyo 2020 and Barbie honored great athletes: the Turkish swimmer Sümeyye Boyacı, the French soccer player Amandine Henry, the Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan, the British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, the Portuguese surfer Teresa Bonvalot and the German jumper Malaika Mohambo. Barbie made a figure dedicated to each of them because of her power to inspire girls, women and people in general to reach their maximum potential in the sporting field.

The best long jumper in the world, Malaika Mihambo, who holds the record of the event with 7.30 m that gave her gold in the Cto. Doha'19 World Cup. Last year she also received the 'Sportsperson of the Year' award.

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German long jumper Malaika Mihambo is honored as a role model for her extraordinary sporting achievements and receives her own unique Barbie

Frankfurt, March 3, 2020 - Today, on the occasion of International Women's Day, Barbie paid tribute to a large number of European professional athletes as female role models and continues to work to close the so-called "dream gap". This term describes the gap that exists between girls and developing their full potential. A "dream gap" occurs when young girls begin to doubt their self-worth and potential.* Barbie wants girls everywhere to grow up with the attitude of "you can be anything." Hence, the most famous doll becomes a role model for the world. and creates a game world full of possibilities, dreams and self-belief, against the "dream gap."

World Champion Malaika Mihambro Honored at ICONISTA Presented by Barbie

In Germany, Barbie celebrated International Women's Day together with ICONIST, WELT's lifestyle offering. On this occasion, Barbie and ICONIST presented the ICONISTA Award for the third time on the evening of March 3, 2020. German long jumper Malaika Mihambo was chosen as a role model by Barbie and ICONIST due to her incredible sporting achievements, including winning at the 2019 World Athletics Championships. Malaika Mihambo not only received the ICONISTA award for her outstanding sporting achievements, but she also received her own Barbie doll - a unique piece from the "One of a kind Barbie" series. Malaika Mihambo's impressive personality aims to encourage girls to achieve all their dreams, whatever they may be. Barbie is raising a special monument to her mental strength and her unwavering belief in herself with a unique doll inspired by her. Through the campaign, Barbie draws attention to many inspiring women and seeks to reinforce the importance of having strong role models for girls. The “ICONISTA presented by Barbie” event features strong women telling their stories about emancipation, equality, and life as it is and how they became who they want to be.

Malaika Mihambo proudly accepted the unique doll from her and is excited about the Barbie campaign: “When she was a child and aspired to be an athlete, there weren't many women in sports; in fact, it was always a male-dominated sport. “That's why I'm especially pleased to be recognized today as a female Barbie role model and to help encourage future generations of girls to get involved in sports and compete in the professional world.”

Across Europe, Barbie honored sports models with a unique doll, including professional surfer Anat Lelior (Israel) and teenage para-swimmer Sümeyye Boyacı (Turkey).

Lisa McKnight, general manager and senior vice president of Barbie, said: “As the original female empowerment brand, Barbie is dedicated to spotlighting strong, diverse role models to unlock the limitless potential of every girl. As female athletes continue to set new records and take center stage around the world, we are proud to honor these incredible women by telling their stories and recognizing their achievements through dolls inspired by them. In an effort to close the dream gap, we have a responsibility to show girls that they can be and achieve anything, both in sports and in all other areas of life.”