The new identity of Barbie

Mattel has released a new range of Barbie dolls that is the result of one of the biggest changes in the brand’s history.

The new dolls feature a whole new range of body types, face shapes and skin tones, that are there to help represent a more realistic portrayal for the dolls.

Being an identity nerd, I find this fascinating, both on the brand level, corporate level and the consumer one.

From the brand point of view (and the corporate one in this case), this is a big change for its identity and a step away from that ‘typical’ Barbie look. What this means, is that Mattel is becoming more aware of the impact it is having on young girls via its Barbie brand, something which until this point it has received criticism for. In this instance, its brand has completely changed as a result and definitely feels more modern in its approach. It also takes into account the further societal impact its dolls are having, which can only be a good thing.

Which brings us onto the consumer side of identity. As mentioned previously, the brand had received much criticism for its style of doll and it’s obvious influence over identities of audiences . So from this point of view it is an interesting step forward in addressing this issue. It offers a far more realistic doll for young consumers to identify and identify with. As such it can have interesting outcomes on the self esteem and social identities involved. It is perhaps important to address these issues in the early years of play. The cultural artefacts that we play with as children (and we see other children playing with) can have a profound effect.

Overall this is a brilliant step forward for both brand identity and the identities of the consumers involved. It will be interesting to see how much of the toy industry heads down this particular road.