The She-Ra Barbie Doll Feels Long Overdue

For the honor of Mattel synergy, why'd it take 40 years?

Give or take Polly Pocket, Barbie and She-Ra are the defining plastic princesses of the Mattel toy empire, and it’s a wonder that only now are they coming together — the most powerful woman in the universe under the most powerful femme-coded toy brand of all time. I say “femme-coded” because of the one time I wrote about how My Little Pony was making a new subline of toys aimed at boys rather than girls, and was given a stern lecture by editors about how there are more than two genders. I accept the premise, but toy companies still tend to think of certain characteristics for “boys’ toys” versus “girls’ toys.”

Ironically, the original Princess of Power action figures pointedly blurred the lines between fashion dolls and action figures — they may have served as a gateway in one direction or the other, though for the most part the kids I knew, self-included, either bought Princess of Power or Masters of the Universe, and never both. That’s where the culture was at. In the years since, almost every She-Ra toy relaunch has been masc-targeted action figures under the Masters of the Universe brand. (The exception was some fashion dolls for the Netflix Princesses of Power cartoon.)

It’s honestly about time that fans of the original Princess of Power toys got something that emulates the fashion doll side of the original property. They’re getting a She-Ra Barbie, one that notably does features the Masters of the Universe branding, while skewing entirely into the traditional “girls’ toys” category. Per the official description, she’s “dressed to defend Eternia against the villainous Horde in her signature satiny white dress, gold boots, winged headpiece, and flowing red cape, armed with her Sword of Protection.”

Technically, she’d properly be defending Etheria, but never mind. Hordak frequently warps over to Eternia to take on He-Man, and She-Ra sometimes follows him to help her brother out. At present, it seems that He-Man and She-Ra have separate media rights, though their toy rights are combined — it’s an odd situation that has resulted in the He-Man side of the property giving his sister Adora a new evil identity as Despara in comics and TV cartoons. (I don’t have the space or energy to explain this — just look up Despara if you really want to know).

In 2016, Mattel made a She-Ra doll for Comic-Con that was effectively a Barbie, if not officially, featuring the then-new super-articulated Barbie body, and different outfits that could dress her as toy-style She-Ra, cartoon-style She-Ra, or Adora. That cost $75 at the time, and probably goes for much more now. The She-Ra Barbie runs $55, and just features her in the animated-style outfit. More so than any other He-Man-related character, She-Ra was significantly redesigned from the toy for the cartoon, but that has become her most iconic look.

The She-Ra Barbie will go on sale exclusively at Mattel Creations beginning June 18th. (If you’re interested in Despara after I name-dropped her, they may still have an action figure of her in stock by the time you read this, for $20.)

All images in this piece are courtesy of Mattel; here are a few more:

According to Julia, my Barbie expert, the original exclusive will probably be worth more, though there are some Barbie collectors who will only want Barbies. Nonetheless, she anticipates this will be mostly for fans of She-Ra more than anything, and the older doll that has more stuff and is rarer should hold its demand.

If you missed it, though, go for this one!

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