EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Barbie has traded her signature golden locks for a mop of slick, red hair after undergoing an otherworldly makeover.
A new limited edition doll pays homage to rock legend David Bowie’s 1970s alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, and comes ahead of the 50th anniversary of the release of Bowie’s hit song, “Space Oddity.”
The brains behind Barbie, toymaker Mattel, which is based in El Segundo, said the doll is designed to honor the “pioneer of sound and vision, English singer, songwriter and actor, whose dramatic musical transformations continue to influence and inspire.”
Barbie’s been through a lot of ch-ch-ch-ch-changes over the years, but the fashion icon’s latest incarnation may be one of her coolest ones yet.
No details have been spared in recreating Bowie’s alter ego look, down to the doll’s black nail polish and dangling, silver star earrings.
The doll wears a striped, metallic “spacesuit” with trademark red platform boots. In true Bowie fashion, Barbie also flaunts the musician’s red, mullet-like hairdo, statement dusty eyeshadow, and, of course, the striking golden astral sphere symbol on her forehead.
The rock-glam Barbie joins a growing procession of special edition dolls, as the company seeks to remain relevant six decades after the release of the original model.
Last year, Mattel released a stylish Iris Apfel doll, celebrating the then 96-year-old fashion icon. Earlier this year, the toymaker also released a collection of dolls with wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs.
Lady Stardust’s androgynous appearance marks another iteration of the doll, replicating in a small way the reinvention that Bowie employed during his monumental career.
