First introduced in the 1980's, the Dolls of the World Collection has mostly been a success, allowing children to express their own culture in their favorite doll. Dolls have been added on since then to the collection, typically two a year. The overall creation of the dolls was supposed to be successful, but consumers thought otherwise and noted many of Mattel’s mistakes.
Stereotypes were written on many of the boxes. A major example would be the India Barbie which said that most Indians eat with their fingers and live in houses that don’t have running water. After Mattel got many complaints, they decided to make their next Dolls of the World Barbie, the Puerto Rican Barbie (1997), with more thought. Mattel talked to the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture so that they could get the clothes and box design perfectly, yet the doll still had complaints. Many women felt that the doll was very stereotypical and didn’t fit their Puerto Rican lifestyle. Mattel hadn’t wanted to make an American doll, however, which is why many young girls enjoyed playing with this doll because it got them closer to their ethnicity.
Stereotypes were written on many of the boxes. A major example would be the India Barbie which said that most Indians eat with their fingers and live in houses that don’t have running water. After Mattel got many complaints, they decided to make their next Dolls of the World Barbie, the Puerto Rican Barbie (1997), with more thought. Mattel talked to the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture so that they could get the clothes and box design perfectly, yet the doll still had complaints. Many women felt that the doll was very stereotypical and didn’t fit their Puerto Rican lifestyle. Mattel hadn’t wanted to make an American doll, however, which is why many young girls enjoyed playing with this doll because it got them closer to their ethnicity.
The Fulla doll was made in 2003 by the Syrian company NewBoy Design Studio, and was an instant hit. It offered Muslims an alternative Barbie, coming with a hijab (scarf-like fabric Muslim women wear on their head for religious reasons) and a doll sized prayer mat as well as a variety of outfits to choose from (but none as revealing as what you might assume a Muslim Barbie would wear). It was quite a threat to Mattel since it was doing so well in the market. However, Mattel still did well in the international section of dolls, even though they did have a couple of bumps in the road.