Mattel, the company behind Barbie, is releasing their first line of gender-neutral dolls. The dolls will be highly customizable, with ABC 12 reporting that they come with a kit of various hair, clothes, and accessory options.
Richard Dickson, Mattel’s President told Time, “I think if we could have a hand in creating the idea that a boy can play with a perceived girl toy and a girl can play with a perceived boy toy, we would have contributed to a better, more sensitive place of perception in the world today. And even more so for the kids that find themselves in that challenging place, if we can make that moment in their life a bit more comfortable, and knowing we created something that makes them feel recognized, that’s a beautiful thing.”
As for the reactions of the boomer generation, Monica Dreger, head of consumer insights at Mattel added, “If all the parents who saw the dolls said, ‘This is what we’ve been waiting for,’ we wouldn’t be doing our jobs. That would mean this should have already been in the market. So we’re maybe a little behind where kids are, ahead of where parents are, and that’s exactly where we need to be.”
The dolls retail for $29.99 and you can pick one up for yourself here.
