Naomi Osaka/Instagram, Mattel
Every child needs a role model. While Barbie has been everything from a doctor to an astronaut over the years, there are a few things that she hasn’t been. So it’s really no surprise tennis star Naomi Osaka’s Barbie doll sold out in just a couple of hours!
The Naomi Osaka Barbie Doll
Mattel
That’s right – the Barbie doll of young tennis star Naomi Osaka sold out in a matter of hours. The Osaka doll is the latest in Barbie’s newest Role Model series. Based on one of the tennis star’s biggest 2020 matches, the doll features a Nike tennis dress, a white Nike visor, blue sneakers, and a mini replica of Osaka’s Yonex tennis racket. Its joints can even move, unlike a regular Barbie doll, for different tennis poses! “A role model for all girls, everywhere. Girls need more role models like Naomi, because imagining they can be anything is just the beginning,” the doll’s description reads.
The Barbie’s designer, Carlyle Nuera, thinks that Osaka is a perfect entry into the new Barbie Role Model series. “Obviously Naomi’s athletic skill is unmatched, that’s a fact,” Nuera stated. “But what I personally admire the most about Naomi Osaka is how she uses her platform, the spotlight on her and her voice, to raise awareness about social justice.”
Meanwhile, Osaka simply hopes her Barbie can inspire other children to follow their dreams, just like she did. “I hope every child is reminded that they can be and do anything,” she wrote on Twitter after the release. And now, the tennis legend has entered into Olympics history!
Summer Olympics 2021
Jared Wickerham/BNP Paribas Open
As you might imagine, Mattel is far from the only company jumping on the Naomi Osaka Train. Netflix launched a documentary series about the athlete, Naomi Osaka, in July 2021. It follows her after her first Grand Slam Title win in 2018, which actually resulted in “long bouts of depression.” Although the battle was hard, she came back better than ever, winning three more titles. And the self-narrated documentary was just the beginning of a fantastic year for Osaka. Next came the Olympics!
In case you missed it, this year, Osaka not only held the Olympic torch, but also lit the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony. In fact, she’s the first tennis star ever to do so. What an honor! Coming into the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Osaka was ranked number two in the world. The games started off fantastic, with two straight wins for the tennis star. However, sadly, Osaka lost in the third round of the games, to Markéta Vondroušová.
“I’m disappointed in every loss, but I feel like this one sucks more than the others,” Osaka said after the match. Still, despite the loss, Osaka called the Olympics “undoubtedly the greatest athletic achievement and honor I will ever have in my life.” We can’t wait to see what she does next!
