Mattel has announced its latest Barbie doll: one dressed as David Bowie’s iconic alter ego Ziggy Stardust.
Complete with red boots to match a backcombed mane of hair and a striped jumpsuit, plus some cosmic accessories and face paint, Barbie replicates the look of Bowie’s bisexual messenger from the stars – though her usual pleasant smile doesn’t quite match the intense stare usually associated with the character.
Introducing the $50 (£40) doll, Mattel said: “In a definitive celebration of two pop culture icons, Barbie honours the ultimate pop chameleon, English singer, songwriter and actor David Bowie, whose dramatic musical transformations continue to influence and inspire.
“This collectible Barbie doll honours the cultural legacy of the musical genius who redefined rock and roll … Colours and decoration may vary.”
Bowie introduced the Ziggy Stardust character in 1971, and based the 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars around it, featuring the classic songs Five Years, Starman and Suffragette City. He evolved the character in 1973, ushering in the era of Aladdin Sane.
Ziggy isn’t the only visitor to outer space commemorated by Mattel this week. The company also announced a one-off Barbie doll honouring Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti – whose 199-day mission on the International Space Station in 2014 was then the longest by a woman – as part of its Dream Gap Project. Isabel Ferrer, Barbie’s European director of marketing, said the company had “a clear goal: to inspire girls to become the next generation of astronauts, engineers and space scientists”.
Accordingly, there is also the Astronaut Barbie; launched amid the space race in 1965, it has remained part of the product line ever since. Mattel’s website says the latest iteration of the doll “shoots for the stars in a professional look with themed accessory”.
