Barbie Creates Dolls For Jane Goodall & Her Best Chimp Friend From Plastic Waste

Barbie is now a spearheading ethologist and conservationist, among roles like a vaccinologist, a leading tennis player, and a National Geographic photojournalist.

Joining Mattel’s lineup of dolls celebrating diversity and female excellence is a Barbie created in the likeness of Dr Jane Goodall, the world’s most reputable expert on chimpanzees. And accompanying her is David Greybeard, a chimp the 88-year-old Goodall worked with in the 1960s that the primatologist has described to be her favorite.

The Jane Goodall Barbie was unveiled as part of a set of dolls called the ‘Eco-Leadership Team’, although its launch also coincides with the 62nd anniversary since the ethologist first embarked on her research with chimpanzees in Tanzania’s Gombe National Park, and World Chimpanzee Day on July 14. The other Eco-Leadership Barbies include a chief sustainability officer, a conservation scientist, a renewable energy engineer, and an environmental advocate.

In line with the green theme, the dolls are crafted with recycled, ocean-bound plastic—AKA plastic waste approaching oceans. They’re also carbon-neutral as certified by Climate Impact Partners, according to Mattel.

In the production of these Barbies, Mattel has balanced the scales by purchasing carbon offsets from the Ghana Community Reforestation, Mississippi Valley Reforestation, and Australia Native Forest Restoration projects.

Unlike other girls, Goodall didn’t spend her childhood playing with dolls. But she hopes her likeness will encourage young ones to find their footing in nature, whether in terms of a career or not.

The doll is just one of Mattel’s steps in reaching a future of 100% recycled, recyclable, or bio-based plastic materials across all products and packaging by 2030.

[via Fast Company and USA Today, images via Mattel]