NASA and Mattel collaborative creation "Mars Explorer Barbie," a new space-suited version of the iconic doll officially launched on Monday.
The doll was created to coincide with the first anniversary of NASA's Curiosity rover landing on Mars. According to a news release, a very pink Mars Explorer Barbie is packaged with a cardboard cutout of the six-wheeled Mars Science Laboratory.
"Ready to add her signature pink splash to the 'red planet,' [the] Barbie doll is outfitted in a stylish spacesuit with pink reflective accents, helmet, space pack and signature pink space boots," Mattel wrote in a statement describing the new Barbie
"Mars Explorer Barbie" is reportedly part of the company's "I Can Be" line of Barbie dolls , and Mattel named the new doll the "Career of the Year" for 2013.
"Adding to her resume of more than 130 careers, Mars Explorer Barbie doll inspires girls to be adventurous and to always reach for the stars," Mattel said.
The new Barbie doll packaging also includes a list of facts about the "history of U.S. female space explorers and promotes the space agency's Women@NASA website to learn more," according to the news release.
Mattel has a long history of space-inspired dolls in the last 50 years.
"The first Barbie astronaut outfit, 'Barbie Miss Astronaut,' was released in 1965, two years after Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the world's first woman to fly into space and 18 years before an American woman, Sally Ride, would follow her," according to CollectSpace.com.
"Mars Explorer Barbie" is the second toy Mattel released in celebration of NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover mission.
Mattel's Hot Wheels has also released in 2012 their version of the Mars Rover Curiosity, "a 1:64 scale version of NASA's six-wheeled Mars Science Laboratory," according to the news release.
Click here to read more about "Mars Explorer Barbie" and Mattel's collaboration with NASA.
