Mattel just launched a new Naomi Osaka Barbie doll and it’s a must-have if you are a collector.
According to People, this isn’t the first time the 23-year-old Osaka has seen herself in Barbie form.
She was honored as a one-of-a-kind Barbie Shero for the brand’s 60th anniversary in 2019.
Fans of both the tennis star and Barbie must have expressed their disappointment that they couldn’t get their own 11-inch Osaka back then, so Mattel got to work on this new version.
The new Role Model Naomi wears a replica of the outfit that Osaka sported at the 2020 Australian Open, a blue-and-pink Nike tank top and shorts paired with a white flared skirt.
Though she lost that tournament in the third round, her fashion statement was a winner. The fully poseable doll also comes with her own Yonex tennis racket, light-blue Nike sneakers, and a white visor that rests atop her highlighted curls.
“It’s such an honor to be a part of the Barbie Role Model series, and to remind young girls that they can make a difference in the world,” Osaka said in a press release.
“I want young girls everywhere to feel empowered to dream big and to know that if they believe in themselves that anything is possible!”
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This Barbie comes out at a unique time for Osaka. Since pulling out of the French Open and Wimbledon, she has become an inspiration for people who have decided to prioritize their mental health above their careers. She recently penned an essay for Time about this newfound status.
“I feel uncomfortable being the spokesperson or face of athlete mental health as it’s still so new to me and I don’t have all the answers,” she wrote.
“I do hope that people can relate and understand it’s O.K. to not be O.K., and it’s O.K. to talk about it. There are people who can help, and there is usually light at the end of any tunnel.”
Osaka is about to represent Japan at the Tokyo Olympics this month. She’s also the subject of a Netflix documentary miniseries simply titled Naomi Osaka, premiering July 16, that reveals more about how her upbringing in the U.S. by a Japanese mother and Haitian father, her moments of self-doubt, and her triumphs on the court all play into her identity.
“I feel like the platform that I have right now is something that I used to take for granted, and for me I feel like I should be using it for something,” Osaka said in a Netflix press release. “I believe, instead of following, you have to make your own path.”
Want one? Check the doll out here on Amazon.
