Barbie aims to inspire with upcoming NFT series

Source: The Drum

Launched in partnership with Boss Beauties, the collection of virtual tokens will showcase the 250 different careers Barbie has occupied over the last 60-plus years.

The NFTs represent Barbie’s 250 careers since she first debuted in 1959. / Adobe Stock

Mattel-owned toy brand Barbie has announced a new partnership with NFT brand Boss Beauties. Launching today – International Day of the Girl – the partnership will include a new NFT series, consisting of 15,000 tokens, representing the 250 professions that Barbie has occupied since she first hit shelves in 1959. “Career traits will range from astronaut to archeologist, beekeeper to CEO and everything in between, reminding girls they can be anything,” the brands said in a joint statement.

The brands will donate a total of $250,000 as part of their collaborative effort. Half ($125,000) will go to the Barbie Dream Gap Project, described on Barbie’s parent company Mattel’s website as “an ongoing global initiative that gives girls the resources and support they need to continue believing in themselves.” The other $125,000 will go to the Boss Beauties Foundation, a fund devoted to mentorship and a scholarship program for young women.

“Barbie is the original girl empowerment brand,” Lisa McKnight, executive vice-president and global head of Barbie & Dolls, Mattel, said in a statement. “From CEO to chef to scientist, we’ve been reminding girls everywhere that they can be anything for the past six decades. As we celebrate over 250 careers represented in the Barbie line timed to International Day of the Girl, we are proud to bring some of these careers to life in a new way through our digital art collaboration with Boss Beauties, which celebrates our shared passion to champion the next generation of female leaders.”

The NFT launch, slated to launch later this year, will be preceded by a series of virtual mentorship programs – ”inviting girls around the world to hear from leaders from a variety of careers” – which will be jointly hosted by Boss Beauties and Barbie.

This is the second partnership between Boss Beauties and Barbie; the two brands collaboratively launched the Role Models NFT collection in March for International Women’s Day. Barbie also launched an NFT campaign with French luxury fashion brand Balmain in January.