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Jemal Countess/WireImageThe late Dr. Maya Angelou has been honored with a Barbie doll.
Mattel, the maker of Barbie, made the announcement Thursday as part of Barbie’s Inspiring Women series, which pays tribute to notable role models who encourage young people to dream big.
“Our efforts include a commitment to spotlight more Black role models who are female, and now, we are introducing a doll that honors Dr. Maya Angelou, author and activist who used her voice and unique writing style to connect with people and inspire generations,” Mattel said in a news release. The doll will retail for $29.99 and is available now.
Other heroine dolls in the Inspiring Women series include aviator Amelia Earhart, NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, civil rights icon Rosa Parks, astronaut Sally Ride, tennis legend Billie Jean King, celebrated jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale, and suffragette Susan B. Anthony.
Angelou’s Barbie, dressed in a head wrap and floor-length floral print dress, holds a miniature replica of her landmark autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Angelou, who died in 2014, was an American author, poet, civil rights activist and teacher. She had over 50 honorary doctorates and in 2011 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
By Candice Williams
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