A Barbie doll released last month seeks to spotlight women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM.
Robotics Engineer Barbie is the latest career for the Mattel brand and aims to get girls interested in Engineering fields. With only 24 percent of STEM jobs held by women, the Barbie brand is not only encouraging girls to explore STEM through imaginative play with the doll, but also learn real coding skills.
As part of a multi-year partnership with Tynker, a top game-based platform, Mattel launched six free Barbie-inspired coding experiences. These lessons are designed to teach logic, problem-solving and the building blocks of coding while casting young learners in different roles alongside Barbie.
“For almost 60 years, Barbie has exposed girls to roles where women are underrepresented to show them that they can be anything,” Barbie general manager and Senior Vice President Lisa McKnight said in a statement. “By playing with Robotics Engineer Barbie on and offline, we are giving girls a new platform for play in their imaginary world and teaching them important skills for their real world.”
To further pique girls’ interest in STEM and expand on storytelling possibilities, the Barbie brand is also:
– Partnering with Black Girls CODE – providing a grant of support to Black Girls CODE and gifting dolls at robotics workshops to reach young girls interested in developing skills in the field.
– Debuting more Tynker coding content – continuing its multi-year partnership with Tynker to introduce seven lessons throughout the year and again timed to Hour of Code in December.
– Releasing a Coding e-book – in collaboration with Information Science Professor and Coder Casey Fiesler, PhD, Barbie is releasing Code Camp for Barbie and Friends. The e-book is a kid-friendly introduction to the concepts of code and will be available for sale on Amazon.com.
This new doll joins a lineup of more than 200 careers held by Barbie, all of which reinforce the brand’s purpose to inspire the limitless potential in every girl.
