What Kids Want for Christmas: Mattel's Line of Gender-Neutral Dolls!

Nobody can escape Barbie. The ubiquitous dolls and their impossible body standards have been a huge part of popular culture since Barbie (real name: first hit the market in 1959. Barbie may have gotten a makeover to be more inclusive in the past years, but it looks like Mattel, Inc. is taking another step forward: They've just released Creatable World, a line of customizable gender-neutral dolls.

According to their website, these “creatable” dolls are “designed to keep labels out and invite everyone in,” complete with a tagline that says “all welcome.”

The line currently has six dolls of varying skin colors and each one comes with lots of accessories —including hair options — that kids (or adults!) can match any way they want. Each kit has a doll, wig, clothing and accessories that can create more than 100 characters, according to the e-commerce site Amazon. And in truly Barbie fashion, these Creatable World dolls “bend at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles to create photo-worthy poses.” Each doll kit retails for about US$30 (around Php1,560) each.

 

Creatable World was developed to be free from gender norms, with each customizable option representing either more feminine or masculine designs. "As the world begins the celebrate the positive impact of inclusivity, we absolutely fundamentally believed it was time to launch a doll line free of labels and free of rules for kids," said Kim Culmone, senior vice president of Mattel Fashion Doll Design, in a report by CNN.

There's no word yet on whether Mattel is bringing these gender neutral dolls to our shores, but you can order them online.

This story originally appeared on Spot.ph.

*Minor edits have been made by the SmartParenting.com.ph editors.