Not to be outdone by American Girl’s release of an aspiring female astronaut doll, Mattel is releasing a Barbie inspired by “hidden figure” Katherine Johnson.
Johnson was an African-American mathematician for NASA in the mid-1950s, whose flawless calculation of the trajectory of the space agency’s first American-manned flight into space was depicted by Taraji P. Henson in the 2016 movie “Hidden Figures.”
“The Barbie Inspiring Women Katherine Johnson doll celebrates the achievements of a pioneer who broke through barriers of race and gender,” according to Mattel’s website. “Like the trajectories she calculated, Katherine’s contributions inspire young people to excel in math and science, and to reach for the stars.”
Mattel unveiled its first hijab-wearing Barbie doll. The Barbie was inspired by olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad. Muhammad made history in Rio last year as the first U.S. Olympian to represent her country wearing a hijab. According to Mattel, the series was created to honor women “who break boundaries to inspire the next generation of girls” The new doll will be available starting in 2018.
The Johnson doll will be released April 16, making it the second NASA-inspired doll released in 2018.
The first — American Girl’s Luciana Vega, an 11-year-old aspiring astronaut with dreams of being the first person on Mars — went on sale Jan. 1.
To pre-order the Katherine Johnson doll, which costs $29.99, visit Mattel’s website here.