Las Vegas doctor becomes Barbie doll as part of Mattel’s #ThankYouHeroes collection

By Caitlin Lilly

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    LAS VEGAS (KVVU) — A Las Vegas doctor has become an actual “Barbie” girl.

Mattel announced this week that it was debuting a new line of Barbie dolls as part of its #ThankYouHeroes collection.

According to a news release, “Barbie announced that the brand is spotlighting six women who are modern real-life heroes of the pandemic and honoring them with their own one-of-a-kind doll made in their likeness.”

Among the woman selected for the campaign is Las Vegas’ Dr. Audrey Sue Cruz. The release states that during the pandemic, Dr. Cruz joined forces with other Asian-American physicians to fight racial bias and discrimination. “She made a positive impact in her community, inspiring current and future generations for years to come,” Mattel said in the statement.

Mattel said the company will donate $5 for each eligible Barbie doctor, nurse and paramedic doll sold at Target to the First Responders Children’s Foundation (FRCF), benefiting the children of first responders.

“Barbie recognizes that all frontline workers have made tremendous sacrifices when confronting the pandemic and the challenges it heightened,” said Lisa McKnight, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Barbie & Dolls, Mattel. “To shine a light on their efforts, we are sharing their stories and leveraging Barbie’s platform to inspire the next generation to take after these heroes and give back. Our hope is to nurture and ignite the imaginations of children playing out their own storyline as heroes.”

The release states that Mattel’s #ThankYouHeroes program was created in 2020 to honor individuals who have led the fight against COVID-19, as well as the everyday heroes who have kept communities up and running.

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