The toy company Mattel has responded to complaints the new Olympic Skater Barbie doesn’t look Asian and admitted that they “fell short” in representing the Asian community.
“Our intention to represent the Asian community with the Skateboarder doll fell short and we fully receive and recognize the feedback,” a spokesperson shared in a statement, according to NBC. (RELATED: Mattel Releases Maya Angelou Barbie Ahead Of Black History Month)
“Moving forward, we will work to find more ways to champion all representation and celebrate the amazing achievements of all Olympic athletes, who are showing us that anything is possible,” the statement added.
Mattel apologizes for Asian Olympics Barbie doll fail: We ‘fell short’ https://t.co/5VHQR8WmjU pic.twitter.com/mIeihfb0L8
— New York Post (@nypost) August 11, 2021
The company released an Olympic line of Barbie dolls earlier this year ahead of the 2020 games being held in Tokyo that were meant to represent “inclusivity and innovation,” the outlet noted. (RELATED: Barbie Debuts Hijab-Wearing Doll [VIDEO])
Each of the Olympic Barbies were meant to represent the five new games, including skateboarding, softball, karate, sport climbing and surfing, Today noted.
#Barbie is committed to empowering girls to participate in sports by capturing the fun and friendship of the season, and inspiring kids to find the athlete within. #YouCanBeAnything #tokyo2020 #Olympics https://t.co/MFjn2ZhfvW pic.twitter.com/XftIDTaZMo
— Barbie (@Barbie) July 28, 2021
After the images of the Barbies surfaced last month, some people took to Twitter and said the Asian Barbie did not look Asian, the outlet noted.
WATCH:
Video shared on YouTube from February 2020, titled, “Mattel Barbie Olympic Sports Dolls-New York Toy Fair,” shows each of the dolls complete with items of their sport and a gold medal.