Mattel has released a Barbie of Naomi Osaka, honoring the tennis player as part of the Barbie Role Model series which sold out a few hours after it was released on Monday.
The Barbie celebrates "the first Japanese player to win a major title in a single match," according to a press release from 2018. This is Osaka's second Barbie of herself, and she previously collaborated with Barbie in 2019 for the Shero series of dolls.
The four-time grand slam winner took to Instagram to showcase her doll, wearing the exact Nike outfit Osaka sported at the 2020 Australian Open, all the way down to the blue sneakers.
"Teamed up with Barbie back in 2019 but this time it's officially official because today I'm introducing the Barbie Role Model Naomi Osaka doll," Osaka wrote. "I really hope every child is reminded that they can be and do anything. This is really seeing a dream of mine come to life, having your own Barbie and potentially seeing little kids playing with it. Omg 😭🥰❤️
Fun fact : (the doll is wearing my outfit from the 2020 Australian Open lol) Also I'll put the link in my bio."
Designer Carlyle Nuera, who designed the doll, spoke fondly of Osaka in a press release, admiring her character as well as her incomparable athletic skills.
"Obviously Naomi's athletic skill is unmatched, that's a fact," said the designer. "But what I personally admire the most about Naomi Osaka is how she uses her platform, the spotlight on her and her voice, to raise awareness about social justice."
The 23-year-old tennis player has been known to use her platform to advocate for racial injustice, human rights and mental health during her interviews. Osaka withdrew from the French Open due to mental health reasons and recently withdrew from this year's Wimbledon tournament.
Earlier this month Netflix debuted a trailer for "Naomi Osaka," a personally narrated documentary series by Osaka that follows her life before fame as well as the daily tribulations the world- renowned tennis player faced after achieving her over night fame. The series will air on Netflix July 16.
Osaka currently holds the status of being ranked no.2 tennis player by the Women's Tennis Association as well as "the world's highest-paid female athlete ever" title according to Forbes. Osaka who won an ESPY award on Saturday will be seen later on this month at the Tokyo Olympics representing her home country Japan.
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