Mattel Introduces 'Robotics Engineer Barbie'

By RJ Johnson - @rickerthewriter

June 26, 2018

The Rise of the Machines will be programmed by someone who played with Barbie growing up if Mattel has anything to say about it. 

The toy company launched Robotics Engineer Barbie on Tuesday. The doll is designed to help pique girls' interest in STEM fields of study, as well as shine a light on an underrepresented career field that has not traditionally seen a lot of women.

The new doll adds another job option for Barbie who can now boast having more than 200 careers, all of which are meant to help "reinforce the brand's purpose to inspire the limitless potential in every girl," Mattel said in a statement. 

Robotics Engineer Barbie is more than just a way for girls to explore STEM through imaginative play with the doll, it also allows them to learn real coding skills with six free Barbie-inspired coding experiences.

The coding lessons help teach logic, problem-solving skills, as well as give kids the basic building blocks of coding. 

"For almost 60 years, Barbie has exposed girls to roles where women are underrepresented to show them that they can be anything," said Lisa McKnight, General Manager and Senior Vice President for Barbie. "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."

This isn't the first time Barbie has found herself tinkering in STEM related fields. Since 1959, Mattel has sold editions that include roles for Barbie like astronaut, scientist, video game developer, and computer engineer. 

"Our mission is to empower youth to become the makers of tomorrow through coding, and the Barbie brand is an ideal partner to help us introduce programming to a large number of kids in a fun, engaging way," said Krishna Vedati, co-founder and CEO, Tynker. "It's critical that all young learners have an opportunity to explore the possibilities available in STEM fields, and Tynker's Barbie programming experience is a valuable tool to introduce kids of all ages to these concepts while building their coding skills."