Throughout the centuries, Mattel has expanded Barbie’s career paths in so many directions. From a fashion designer, engineer, or even president, she’s done it all!
As the most famous doll of our time, Barbie has a massive audience and outreach cultivated through various series, movies, and word of mouth.
One of the many fields that Barbie has mastered is sports. She has been a gymnast and soccer player, and more recently, has shifted her focus to representing real-life female athletes.
Venus Williams and Christine Sinclair are two of the iconic athletes who have already been manufactured into doll form. But recently, Mattel partnered with Canadian coffee staple, Tim Hortons, to bring two female hockey superstars, Marie-Philip Poulin and Sarah Nurse, into the Barbie-verse.
Canadian hockey phenom Marie-Phillip Poulin, known as “Captain Clutch”, is one of the most influential athletes and the greatest women’s hockey player of this modern era. Being a 3-time Olympic gold medallist, the face of women’s hockey, and a walking highlight reel, Poulin embodies the hard work and dedication any hockey player can look up to. She’s the Captain of both Team Canada and the Montreal Victoire of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). Further solidifying her top-tier status, she has been playing at the professional level for over 17 years.
In addition to Poulin, Olympic gold medalist Sarah Nurse is another renowned hockey player who has earned her own Barbie lookalike. She is one of the most well-known names in women’s hockey today, recognized for her activism and role in growing the sport through community engagement— and her Barbie doll will continue to spread that message too. Nurse is another Gold medalist and Canadian teammate to Poulin, beating her out and securing the points record for a single Olympic tournament as she helped Canada win the gold medal in 2022.
Sarah has fought to increase diversity and inclusion in hockey, particularly for young Black female hockey players, through her role on the PWHPA board and her support of initiatives such as Black Girl Hockey Club Canada.
The PWHL just solidified itself as the place for women’s professional hockey to thrive, and the growth has been exponential. The league’s exponential growth makes this campaign the perfect collaboration.
Young girls who haven’t had exposure to the sport have gained more opportunities than ever, and veterans of the sport can witness the bright future of women’s hockey.
When I walked into Tim Hortons before my 9-hour shift, hoping for a caffeine boost to start my day, I wasn’t expecting to see two hockey icons staring back at me. It spoke to me and my hockey-loving heart.
The heart that fell in love with a sport I didn’t realize I could play until I was 13. The sport for which I couldn’t find girls’ camps until I was 15. The sport, I couldn’t be in the same dressing room as my teammates at 17. The sport, I now get to coach with 30+ girls alongside an all-female coaching staff.
The sport where girls can now grow up with role models on TV, in real life, and see the Barbie version of their potential future at a Tim Hortons at 6 am before heading off to a tournament.