A representative for Mattel clarified on Thursday that Barbie is unaffiliated with a political party following Donald Trump Jr.’s joke regarding the 2020 Campaign Team dolls revealed this week.
“Barbie is not, and has never been, affiliated with a political party,” a Mattel representative told the Los Angeles Times this week. “Barbie has always encouraged girls to stand up for what they believe in and shows them they can be anything.”
The company unveiled the line of campaign-themed dolls this week, featuring what the company described as “four diverse dolls that inspire girls to see themselves in the roles that make up a winning campaign: Candidate, Campaign Manager, Fundraiser, and Voter.”
Lisa McKnight, senior vice president and global head of Barbie and dolls at Mattel, said in a statement on Monday that they designed the diverse Barbie Campaign Team “to show all girls they can raise their voices”:
A photo of the “voter” shows the doll donning a classic “I Voted” sticker and holding an empty ballot, prompting Trump Jr.’s remarks.
“‘Voter’ Barbie must be a Democrat because she’s already wearing an ‘I Voted’ sticker and yet she’s got another ballot in her hand,” he mused:
The Mattel representative added that the doll: “highlights a range of leadership roles to pique their interest in shaping the future and raise their voices — from the podium to the polls” and said the set “provides a tool to allow families to have conversations around important events and cultural moments through play.”
The president’s eldest son’s remarks, while lighthearted, represent growing concern surrounding voter fraud as the November election nears — particularly as Democrats angle to make vote-by-mail the new normal.
“With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history,” President Trump said on Thursday, asking, “Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???”: