LONDON — Dame Helen Mirren is a Barbie girl.
Ahead of Barbie’s 65th anniversary on Saturday, the Academy Award-winning actress has been named the latest Barbie U.K. role model as part of the brand’s celebratory “Female Storytellers” campaign for International Women’s Day.
To commemorate, a doll was created in Mirren’s likeness, sporting the same blue Del Core gown and Bulgari jewels she wore on the 2023 Cannes red carpet.
Dame Helen Mirren and her look-alike Barbie.
Courtesy of Mattel
“To be chosen by Barbie as a role model is a huge compliment, and something I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams happening to me at this stage in my life,” Mirren said in a statement.
“It’s a very special thing, and something I can add to my list of my favourite achievements; becoming a Dame of the British Empire, having an Oscar, having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — and having my own Barbie,” she added.
After Greta Gerwig’s box office hit “Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, it seems Barbie has entered a golden age — the doll industry is estimated to generate $14 billion by 2027.
“After a dismal 2022, when sales of dolls were negatively impacted due to high prices amid the economic uncertainty, owner Mattel is set for a strong 2023 as a result of the ‘Barbie’ film’s halo,” said Wee Teck, head of toys and games at Euromonitor International, as WWD reported last July.
London’s The Design Museum has partnered with the toy manufacturer to dive into Barbie’s design history on July 5 to mark the Mattel doll’s anniversary.