Have you ever bought a doll because it reminded you of you? No, because they don’t make toys that are relatable. But you probably have bought one that you wanted to be like. I remember having like 16 Barbie dolls as a child. I always wanted to have long silky, shiny hair like them, blue eyes and that typical Barbie-figure, cute dresses and pretty heels, a dollhouse of my own to live in, and basically everything pink. But as I grew up, I realised that what I liked so dearly and had grown up believing to be true were actually unrealistic beauty standards. Their definition of ‘beautiful’ was not only restrictive but non-inclusive too.
Fortunately, Mattel, the makers of Barbie, took that global criticism well and recently introduced more diverse dolls that didn’t promote one universal standard of beauty anymore. Kids today can finally grow up in a world where Barbie’s are bald, dark, have prosthetic limbs or vitiligo and that’s completely okay. Life in plastic may not be fantastic but there are, finally, Barbies that feel real and relatable. Barbies that feel like “you” and “me”.
Putting the quarantine days to good use, a 56-year-old Californian woman, who goes by Grandma Gets Real, recently went viral for making ‘Quarantine Dolls’. The former model from the 80s, Tonya Munzon Ruiz, turned her Barbie obsession into a retail line called “Barbie Gets Real” and started making dolls at home showing them in real light. She also makes miniatures with strong nostalgic values (you’ll see).
Putting the pandemic in a positive perspective, she created Barbies honouring essential workers like healthcare workers, grocery store workers, sanitation workers, etc. There are also sets of Barbies doing at-home activities, no matter which part of the world we come from. Check out her entire ‘Quarantine Barbie’ collection below. P.S. don’t miss the miniature accessories and her description of each Barbie on the box. Spoiler alert: It’ll make your day!
Quarantine Starter Pack – Stay Home Curvy Doll Wearing Stretchy Pants
Homeschool Mom Edition – 3 Kids + Toddler (Permanently Attached To Mom’s Leg) LOL
Zoom Ken Looks About Right Haha!
Home Salon Edition Is A Must-Have!
The Binge Watching Barbie Is SO ME (Including The Harry Potter Bit)!
Pandemic Hero – Healthcare Worker
The Baker Barbie Is All Of Us These Days
Pandemic Hero – Sanitation Worker
Quarantine Quarreling Couple Had Me ROFL-ing Hard!
Yup, There’s Also A New Hobby Edition Of The Barbie
Brace Yourself For The Best One – The ‘What Time Is It?’ Barbie
Followed By The ‘What Day Is It?’ Barbie
Of Course, There’s A Gardening Edition
Here’s One Based On GGR Herself – The Barbie Photohrapher!
Pandemic Hero – Grocery Store Worker
And The Latest – Post-Pandemic Baby Boom Barbies (‘Coz Obviously, Duh)
Not only are these realistic and mind-numbingly hilarious but also show the tough times we’re going through in a healthy impression. I mean, what would be a better way to teach young kids about the pandemic who don’t quite understand why they can’t play outside or why mummy and papa are home all the time. Brilliant effort, isn’t it?
You can shop the entire Barbie Gets Real collection at Amazon.
Featured Image: Instagram
