Aaliyah was posthumously honored with her own Barbie by Mattel.
The Barbie was released on Thursday, January 16th, on what would’ve been Aaliyah’s 46th birthday. It is the latest item added to the “Barbie Music Collector Series.
Reports say this new Barbie celebrates “the enduring legacy” of the “Princess of R&B.” The doll was inspired by her iconic look from her “One In A Million” video.
In the video, the singer wore an all-Black faux leather ensemble with a laced-up and zippered vest paired with her iconic Black shades. The doll also replicates her infamous hairstyle with a swoop covering her left eye.
Barbie’s design team partnered with Aaliyah’s brother, Rashad Haughton, to bring the singer’s style to life. “I can vividly remember my sister playing with her favorite Barbie dolls for hours when we were kids. She would make them sing, dance, and perform little concerts,” he said in a statement. “It’s clear to me now that she was imagining dreams that would eventually become reality when she embarked on a career in entertainment at just fifteen years old.”
Haughton added, “Inspiring confidence, belief in yourself, and embracing who you truly are is the essence of Barbie. My sister would be ecstatic to see her legacy celebrated this way.”
Aaliyah came onto the music scene in 1994 with her debut single, “Back & Forth.” Throughout her career, Aaliyah won three American Music Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards. She was also nominated for five Grammy awards.
Aaliyah’s Barbie doll joins the likes of Gloria Estefan, Zendaya, and Brandy. Krista Berger, SVP of Barbie and global head of dolls at Mattel said, “We hope the Aaliyah Barbie serves as a powerful reminder to her loyal fans and Barbie collectors everywhere that, like Aaliyah, they can unlock their limitless potential and achieve anything they set their minds to.”