Playtime’s Over

Frida Kahlo’s Family Is Enraged That She Was Made Into a Barbie Doll

As Mattel made an “inspiring women” range of dolls for International Women’s Day.

The family of late Mexican artist Frida Kahlo has voiced its anger after a Barbie doll was created in the feminist icon’s image. Toy company Mattel launched a new Barbie range this week based on “inspiring women” to coincide with International Women’s Day, including one of Kahlo. The artist’s family said in a statement that Mattel had no right to use her image for the doll, and criticized the inaccuracies in the doll’s likeness to Kahlo. “Mrs. Mara Romeo, great-niece of Frida Kahlo, is the sole owner of the rights of the image of the illustrious Mexican painter Frida Kahlo,” said the family, with Romeo later adding: “I would have liked the doll to have traits more like Frida’s, not this doll with light-colored eyes.” Mattel insisted that it had obtained the rights to Kahlo’s image from the Frida Kahlo Corporation, saying in a statement: “Mattel has worked in close partnership with the Frida Kahlo Corporation, the owner of all rights related to the name and identity of Frida Kahlo, on the creation of this doll.”