MXO ‘The Arts Unplugged:’ Barbie Pays Homage To ‘The Queen Of Rock ‘N’ Roll’ With Tina Turner Doll!
BlackAmericanWeb.com, By Natasha Decker, Posted October 28th 2022
The “Queen of Rock’ n Roll,” Tina Turner, officially has her own Barbie.
Released on Oct. 13, the Grammy-winner’s doll “commemorates her smash hit ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It,’” according to Mattel.
The Barbie dons a look “inspired by the iconic outfit” Turner wore in the 1984 smash hit’s music video — including a denim jacket over a black mini-dress, sheer black tights, white drop earrings, and black heels.
The doll’s hair also reflects Turner’s signature hairstyle, a blondish and light brown lioness mane.
As a nod to the icon’s legendary musical career, the Barbie also comes complete with a microphone and doll stand.
“This is my first doll in the current collection, though I worked on a series called ‘Ladies of the 80s’ back in 2010,” shared designer Bill Greening. “Let’s just say Tina has been on my wish list for a very long time. We started it right about the time she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
“She was very involved in the design process,” Greening said of Turner’s input on the doll. “And the ‘What’s Love’ look was the choice right from the start.”
“As a Gen Xer, MTV was a big influence in my pre-teen and teen years. ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’ and ‘Let’s Stay Together’ was our introduction to Tina, for kids of my generation. ‘What’s Love’ was such a huge hit, the video was on MTV constantly! The song and iconic look really defined Tina’s ’80s comeback to me,” Greening added. “I think the costume is very authentic to the video, and there’s lots of nice detailing on the denim jacket. The ‘leather’ skirt, black top, tights, and black ’80s heels really complete the ‘tough’ look.”
The designer provided details on how Barbie nailed the likeness of Turner’s hair, saying, “We used a lot of screen grabs [from the music video] to see the hair at all angles.”
“The hair team did lots of trials to get the style and color just right. Lots of teasing and hairspray was involved!” Greening added.
Mattel’s move marks Turner as the fifth artist inducted into Barbie’s Signature Music Series and the collection’s sixth addition overall.
The Tina Turner Barbie retails for $55 and is already sold out on the brand’s website and Mattel’s other retailers.
