If you were into figure skating back in the ’90s, there’s a good chance that you dreamed of being Kristi Yamaguchi. That didn’t happen, but now you can have your very own Kristi Yamaguchi doll. The Olympic gold medalist is the latest person to be made in doll form as a part of Barbie’s Inspiring Women Series, just in time for Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Heritage Month. Yamaguchi’s Barbie will retail for $35, and you can buy it from retailers including Target, Amazon, Walmart, and directly from Mattel.
“Kristi is the first Asian American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating, a best-selling author, and children’s literacy advocate. As a trailblazer on and off the ice, she is a source of inspiration for young girls across the globe to relentlessly pursue their passions,” a press release stated. Yamaguchi is also the founder and board chair director of nonprofit organization Always Dream, which promotes children’s literacy.
The Kristi Yamaguchi Barbie comes dressed in a similar outfit to the one Yamaguchi wore to the 1992 Winter Olympics, where she won the gold medal for figure skating. The costume, which was designed with skating costume designer Lauren Sheehan, is a black leotard with gold accents. The doll also has a gold ribbon in her hair, silver earrings, white skates, and a celebratory bouquet of flowers.
In addition to creating the doll, Barbie will split a contribution of $25,000 between Always Dream and ASPIRE (Asian Sister Participating in Reaching Excellence, Inc.), which is an organization committed to building and empowering a community of Asian American women leaders through identity development, mentorship, and education.
“My life’s work – whether on the ice or off through my advocacy at Always Dream – has been driven by my personal mission to inspire new generations of athletes, students, and activists. Collaborating with Mattel to create my Inspiring Women Barbie doll is a natural extension of our shared purpose, and I hope it serves as a constant reminder for young kids everywhere to follow their dreams,” Kristi Yamaguchi said in a statement.
Over on Instagram, fans couldn’t contain their excitement over the Yamaguchi Barbie.
“Seeing @kristiyamaguchi as @barbie means the world to me ❤️ Winter Olympics 1992, I was 11. Seeing Kristi take the gold and Midori Ito take the silver. This was the first time I saw Japanese women take the spotlight on TV in America. Representation matters. Seeing is believing,” one comment read.
“Omg wow @kristiyamaguchi has been my role model since I was an eight year old girl . I’ve always admired her strength and beauty as a figure skater ⛸️. I still have her Special K cutout of her on the cereal box ,” another person commented.
“Kristi getting her gold medal is a core memory for me ❤️,” someone else shared.
“I have so many good memories of watching her with my grandma,” another commenter added.
