By Allen Voivod
Gloria Estefan is one of the best-selling female singers of all time, and a trailblazing Cuban-American performer with dozens of chart-topping hit songs. Taking inspiration from her Cuban heritage and blending Latin rhythms with pop and dance beats, her unique sound catapulted her to stardom, making her one of the most successful crossover artists in the world.
The Gloria Estefan Barbie Doll, arriving as part of Mattel’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, takes the stage today at Mattel Creations. This Gold Label doll retails for $55, and there’s no purchase limit – get one for yourself, and more for the Gloria Estefan and Barbie fans in your life.
For this fifth doll in our Music Series (and the second doll this year), Barbie Signature turned to designer Javier Meabe, who was already well acquainted with Estefan’s work. “I love Gloria Estefan’s music. Her songs are so iconic and memorable, and always put me in a good mood,” Javier says. “Playing her music was a must when working though the design process. But I have to confess, I did take a few dance breaks when I was sketching the Gloria doll!”
Before Javier could begin the sketch work, though, they had to decide what outfit the doll would wear. “Gloria and the Barbie Signature team worked together to decide what fashion and look would work best for her doll,” Javier explains. “‘Get on Your Feet’ was chosen since Gloria’s look is so iconic and recognizable in the music video.”
Barbie doll’s black jacket features intricate golden detailing with jeweled accents and a dramatic, oversized lace sleeve. A soft leopard belt accentuated with a golden waist chain, bold thigh-high boots, and golden accessories complete her look. “The jacket and boots are so fun, and we wanted to make sure we got as much of the details as possible,” Javier says.
If you’ve seen the video – and if you haven’t, or need a refresher, take a moment and go watch it now – you’ll know that the jacket Estefan wears in the performance is just spectacular. “The jacket has so much detail, and we wanted to make sure we really nailed it,” Javier says, and then casually drops an envy-inducing line. “We were able to look at Gloria’s actual jacket in person, which helped us visually see all the amazing details that the jacket has, like lace sleeves, embellishments, and a mixture of textures. We pulled what we felt was the most recognizable and added it to the Barbie doll.”
Of course, the doll is sculpted to Estefan’s likeness, and Javier says, “The sculpting team did a fantastic job sculpting to likeness, and we’re very proud of this face sculpt.” As for the doll body, Javier says with a laugh that they “wanted to use an articulated body for Gloria so she could shake her body and do the conga!”
Speaking of the conga and that particular song, packaging designer Priscila Bara took inspiration from that to create her favorite part of the doll box: the embossing of the conga and music notes on the blister. “A lot of times, when people think of Gloria, they immediately associate her with her hit song ‘Conga’,” Priscila explains. “I just HAD to include the conga somewhere, and that would make the packaging unique to her. It’s a popular instrument in Latin music and a tribute to her Cuban heritage. The music notes coming out of it complete the composition in harmony!”
That’s how Priscila approached her part of the project, to make sure the doll box could stand out on its own but also share a shelf with past and future Music Series dolls. As for specifics, since the fashion was inspired by the “Get on Your Feet” video, you won’t be surprised to hear that it inspired her stage-scene packaging, too. “That’s where you see Gloria in that amazing outfit. I picked the red hues from the lights in her video, not to mention it totally compliments her lipstick, too.” Priscila says. “For added drama and fun, I included some onstage smoke and confetti, typical of big concerts, with the spotlight on her, of course!”
On a personal note, Priscila also shared something special and awesome with us. “This project was very special to me as it was my first Barbie packaging assignment, and also because I’m Latina and a musician in my spare time … a perfect match!”
And we think the Gloria Estefan Barbie Doll would be perfect for your collection. Get her today at the Mattel Creations online shop, and join us in honoring this enormously talented and immensely popular music star.
-
5
-
1
Recommended Comments
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.