Barbie 2020 Campaign Team Encourages Girls to Lead

Mattel, Inc. announced the Barbie 2020 Campaign Team to pique girls interest around public leadership roles and how they can shape the future.

The new career set includes four diverse dolls, including candidate, campaign manager, fundraiser and voter.

With seven runs for office since 1992, Barbie has a history of showing girls they can and should be in office. Ahead of the 2020 U.S. election, the brand is launching this new doll set alongside a full marketing program aimed at the next generation of leaders by highlighting the importance of voting and taking a stand while showing girls how to run a campaign.

“Since 1959, Barbie has championed girls and encouraged them to be leaders whether in the classroom, community or someday, of the country,” says Lisa McKnight, senior vice president and global head of Barbie & Dolls at Mattel. “With less than a third of elected leaders in the U.S. being women, and Black women being even less represented in these positions, we designed the Barbie Campaign Team with a diverse set of dolls to show all girls they can raise their voices. Our goal is to remove barriers to leadership by giving girls the tools to imagine and play out their future roles.”

The brand teamed up with She Should Run, a non-partisan non-profit that provides guidance and support to women considering a run for office. While we know there are barriers to getting girls in leadership roles, 66 percent of adults surveyed by She Should Run observed an increased perception in leadership potential in children who role play.

In addition to being a longtime partner, She Should Run is a recipient of funds from the Barbie Dream Gap Project and has dedicated resources in part to Help Her Lead, a course designed to support young girls, particularly girls of color, in their pathway to political leadership by giving adult role models the resources and guidance to engage and inspire them early in life.

“With the upcoming elections and the current push for equality and representation, 2020 is an incredible time for us to inspire young women and girls to lead,” says Erin Loos Cutraro, founder and CEO of She Should Run. “Understanding the role we play in empowering our daughters is the first step—we have to have healthy conversations at home and encourage curiosity. By getting them excited today, we’re giving them the confidence to raise their voices and run for office tomorrow.”

Additional educational resources, including play ballots and printable activities, prompts for girls to write their own campaign speeches. These are available on Barbie.com/CampaignTeam and a new “Ask Barbie” video is live on the Barbie YouTube channel. The Barbie Campaign Team, sold as a set, is available now for $39.99 from major online retailers.