Barbie-manufacturer Mattel is being slammed by social media users for a collection of Olympics 2020 dolls that has no Asian representation.
Mattel had collaborated with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Tokyo 2020 organisers to release a new line of dolls in February 2020 for the Games. The collection is meant to celebrate five new sports that were added to the Olympics this year.
People were quick to point out that despite its innovation, the collection of dolls lacked inclusivity. It was noticed that there was no Asian Barbie in the collection of dolls.
Netizens called out Mattel for being tone deaf and some said it was indeed strange that the toy manufacturer missed adding an Asian doll to its collection, especially since the Olympics 2020 happened in an Asian country .
In a statement, the toymaker clarified that a doll resembling an Olympic skateboarder was intended to “represent the Asian community” but acknowledged that the collection ultimately failed to meet its goal.