Barbie, the quintessential dream-doll of every little girl in the world, is set to don the
burkha in a new avatar to celebrate her 50th anniversary.
Wearing the traditional Islamic dress, the iconic doll is going undercover for a charity auction in connection with Sotheby's
for Save The Children, reported
Daily Mail.
Italian designer Eliana Lorena is giving the doll its makeover with support from the makers of the doll Mattel.
"Bring it on Burkha Barbie, I think this is a great idea. I think this is really important for girls, wherever they are from they should have the opportunity to play with a Barbie that they feel represents them," said the UK's biggest Barbie fan Angela Ellis, who has a collection of more than 250 dolls.
"I know Barbie was something seen as bad before as an image for girls, but in actual fact the message with Barbie for women is you can be whatever you want to be," she added.
The mother-of-two's own Barbie collection is set to be displayed at London's Victoria and Albert Museum in 2012.
Barbie was first launched in March 1959 by American businesswoman Ruth Handler. The doll was joined by her long-term boyfriend Ken in 1961.