Gloria Estefan joins Barbie's exclusive music series

Gloria Estefan is one of the best-selling female singers of all time and a pioneering Cuban-American artist with dozens of hit songs. Drawing inspiration from her Cuban heritage and blending Latin rhythms with pop and dance beats, her unique sound catapulted her to stardom, making her one of the most successful crossover artists in the world.

Gloria Estefan Barbie doll, arriving as part of Mattel's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, takes the stage today at Mattel Creations. This Gold Label doll retails for $55 and there is no purchase limit - get one for yourself and more for the Gloria Estefan and Barbie fans in your life.

For this fifth doll in our musical series (and the second doll this year), Barbie Signature turned to designer Javier Meabe, who was already familiar with Estefan's work. “I love Gloria Estefan's music. Her songs are so iconic and memorable, and they always put me in a good mood,” says Javier. “Playing her music was essential when she was working through the design process. But I must confess that I took a few dance breaks when I was drawing the Gloria doll.”

However, before Javier could begin the sketch work, they had to decide what outfit the doll would wear. “Gloria and the Barbie Signature team worked together to decide what fashions and looks would best suit her doll,” explains Javier. “‘Get on Your Feet’ was chosen because Gloria’s look is so iconic and recognizable in the music video.”

Barbie doll's black jacket features intricate gold jewel-embellished details and a dramatic oversized lace sleeve. A soft leopard belt accented with a gold waist chain, bold thigh-high boots, and gold accessories complete her look. “The jacket and boots are really fun, and we wanted to make sure we got as much detail as possible,” says Javier.

If you've seen the video, and if you haven't, or need a refresher, take a moment and go watch it now, you'll know that the jacket Estefan wears in the performance is simply spectacular. “The jacket has so many details, and we wanted to make sure we really pulled it off,” Javier says, then drops a casual, envy-inducing line. “We were able to see Gloria's actual jacket in person, which helped us see all the amazing details the jacket has, like lace sleeves, embellishments, and a mix of textures. “We took out what we felt was the most recognizable and added it to the Barbie doll.”

Of course, the doll is sculpted in Estefan's likeness, and Javier says, "The sculpting team did a fantastic job sculpting the likeness, and we are very proud of this facial sculpt." As for the doll's body, Javier says with a laugh that “they wanted to use an articulated body for Gloria so she could shake her body and do Speaking of the conga and that song in particular, packaging designer Priscila Bara was inspired by that to Create your favorite part of the doll box: the relief of the conga and musical notes on the blister. “Many times, when people think of Gloria, they immediately associate her with her hit song ‘Conga,’” explains Priscila. “I just HAD to include the conga somewhere, and that would make the packaging unique to it. It is a popular instrument in Latin music and a tribute to her Cuban heritage. The musical notes that come out complete the composition in harmony!”

That's how Priscila approached her part of her project, to make sure the doll box could stand on its own, but also share a shelf with past and future Musical Series dolls. As for the details, since the fashion was inspired by the "Get on Your Feet" video, you won't be surprised to learn that it also inspired her stage packaging. “That's where you see Gloria in that amazing outfit. I chose the red tones of the highlights in her video, not to mention it totally complements her lipstick too.” Priscilla says. “For added drama and fun, I included some smoke and confetti on stage, typical of big concerts, with the attention on her, of course!”

On a personal note, Priscila also shared something special and incredible with us. “This project was very special for me, since it was my first Barbie packaging order, and also because I am Latina and a musician in my free time… A perfect combination!”

And we think the Gloria Estefan Barbie doll would be perfect for your collection. Get it today from the Mattel Creations online store and join us in honoring this enormously talented and immensely popular music star.