BARRIO (Billboard) – Barbie is honoring the legacy of Celia Cruz in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The Celia Cruz Barbie was released last week via Mattel.com, Amazon and Walmart.
Re-creating her flair for style, the Celia Cruz Barbie comes outfitted in a red, lace mermaid dress with silver jewelry, gold heels and Cruz’s signature blond hair.
The doll made its Instagram debut on Sept. 12. “Barbie celebrates the legacy of the Queen of Salsa, with the introduction of our newest #Barbie Inspiring Women doll – Celia Cruz,” reads a post on the Barbie Instagram account.
Mattel first introduced the Celia Cruz Barbie in 2021, although it wasn’t up for sale. Now that the doll is officially out, it’s flying off the shelves. The Celia Cruz Barbie retails for $35, although fans might have trouble finding it in stock for that price. It initially sold out at Mattel, Amazon and Walmart but the doll has been popping up on resell sites such as eBay, Mercari and StockX. As of Thursday (Sept. 21), the Celia Cruz Barbie is available at Amazon (prices may vary).
Last year, Mattel debuted a Gloria Estefan Barbie doll coinciding with Estefan’s 65th birthday and her 1989 hit single “Get on Your Feet.”
Known as “La Reina de la Salsa” (“The Queen of Salsa”), Cruz was born in Havana, Cuba in 1925. She released 75 album and sold more than 10 million records over her 60-year career. The Afro-Cuban singer, who passed away in 2003, won five Grammys, four Latin Grammys and a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
