With the queen turning 96 today and her 70th year on the throne being celebrated this June, Britain’s longest-serving monarch will certainly not be short of tributes in 2022. But there is one honor that she has yet to receive until now: her own Barbie doll.
Toy maker Mattel announced today the release of a new figure in the queen’s likeness ahead of her Platinum Jubilee. Complete with her trademark coiffed hair, the Tribute Collection Barbie doll of Queen Elizabeth II comes dressed in one of Her Majesty’s signature looks.
“The Barbie design team captured all the details from the Crown Jewels to the little medallions on the riband to bring this regal representation into reality,” a statement sent to BAZAAR reads. “The tiara is based on Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara, and the little medallions on ribbons are the Royal Family Orders. The Queen’s look is inspired by the style and color of a gown that she’s favored in royal portraits of herself—following her signature look of simple, white, or ivory designs.”
Indeed, the details on the royal Barbie even include the queen’s Order of the Garter, with her blue sash adorned with a silver star representing Britain’s most senior order of chivalry founded during the Middle Ages in the major courts of Europe.
“The gown is not a copy of any one dress she wears, but rather a gown inspired by the style and color of gown that she’s favored in royal portraits of herself for the past several years,” senior director of Barbie design Robert Best explains. “If you look at those portraits or how she dresses for important events, she very much has a signature style and look—always a very simple design in white or ivory, which makes sense given that she must then wear all the accompanying jewelry and sash as befits her rank.”
At $75, the doll may also be the closest most will get to owning a version of the queen’s iconic Fringe Tiara. First worn on her wedding day to Prince Philip in 1947, and then by royal brides Princess Anne and Princess Beatrice, the gold, silver, and diamond-encrusted headpiece is estimated to be worth around $9 million!
Even the packaging is royal, with a Buckingham Palace–inspired depiction of a throne room to pay tribute to the queen’s accession to the throne in 1952. It also comes with a doll stand to display the queen in a number of regal poses.
Barbie manufacturer Mattel launched the Tribute series to celebrate women who have made impacts in the world or their industries. Last year, the brand created a doll for the late actress Lucille Ball to tie in with the 70th anniversary of the sitcom I Love Lucy. This is the company’s first doll made in the image of a living royal and is available to buy via Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Mattel.
