Anna Kikina Russia’s Only Female Cosmonaut Inspires New Barbie Dolls

Anna Kikina, Russia’s only active woman cosmonaut (astronaut) will become a Barbie doll, for “You Can Be Whoever You Want” Mattel’s campaign.

According to Moscow Times, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Soviet launch of the first crewed space flight the dolls will be unveiled. The look-alike Barbie of Kikina will be shown wearing a jet blue jumpsuit with Kikina’s name tag and white overall Orlan spacesuit with Roscosmos patches, in Mattel’s “You Can Be Anything” role models campaign.

The campaign involving Kikina’s latest astronaut doll is intended to inspire women to chase their dreams. In a statement, the Russian space agency Roscosmos read that Barbie is a symbol to show that “any dream can come true-you just need to believe in yourself and move forward”.

Anna Kikina on being made into a Barbie doll

The 36-year-old cosmonaut is the only Russian woman scheduled to go into orbit in 2022 and the fourth woman to travel into space after Valentina Tereshkova, who was the first spacewoman. Kikina was first admitted to the cosmonaut corps a decade ago.

“I didn’t dream of becoming a cosmonaut as a child. But if I had an astronaut Barbie doll, then the idea of becoming one would have for sure been born in my head back then”, said Anna Kikina. 

“Not every girl playing with a Barbie doll has to want to become an astronaut. The most important thing is that they all know that they have a choice,” she added. 

Two years after cosmonaut and current Russian lawmaker Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space, the first Miss Astronaut Barbie doll was produced in 1965.

In 2020, Barbie launched a new 2020 “Campaign Team” set which featured a black Barbie doll as a presidential candidate.

Featured image: The Moscow Times