MIAMI – Mattel created Barbie dolls of two Brazilian disability advocates as part of a special edition collection to mark International Women’s Day on Saturday.
The collection celebrates four friendships including that of Paola Antonini and Kelen Ferreira, who both turned to activism after becoming amputees at 21.
Antonini became an above-knee amputee after surviving a crash involving a drunk driver in 2014. Ferreira became a below-knee amputee after surviving a nightclub fire in 2013.
Antonini, an actress and fitness model, played Ferreira during “The Endless Night,” a drama series about the nightclub fire that killed more than 240 people.
The other six dolls in the Barbie Role Models collection, which includes Celia Cruz and Naomi Osaka, honor the three friendships of women from the United States, Britain, and Australia.
The “friendship” Barbie dolls of women from the U.S. are Olympic gymnastics gold medalists Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey.
The women from Britain are actors Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple, and the women from Australia are professional tennis champions Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Ash Barty.
The collection is not available for sale to the public. Mattel does have a Barbie collection of dolls with wheelchairs.