Aaliyah Barbie, Finally

The Aaliyah Barbie is from the Black Label Barbie Signature Collection

In recent years, Mattel/Mattel Creations has doled out highly-sought-after dolls which creates 1) quick sellouts of available quantities, 2) collectors' frustration and frenzy to acquire the dolls, and 3) skyrocketed prices from secondary market scalpers who scoop up many of the doled-out quantities to resell for profit.

The morning after the initial quantities sold out at Mattel Creations, I pre-ordered my doll on January 16, 2025, from a store that later  dropped its DEI initiatives (so I won't promote their site here). The expected date of delivery was February 3, 2025. On February 8th, still waiting on the doll's arrival, I spoke to a customer service associate who, after researching my order, informed me that additional quantities would be released on February 10, 2025. 

On February 12th, my doll finally arrived. It is a lovely tribute to R&B singer/actress Aaliyah Dana Haughton and was well worth the wait. The wait, in my opinion, was unnecessarily generated since Black Label Barbie distribution is in unlimited quantities. (Except for being a marketing strategy to create a demand for the dolls by offering a few at a time, I cannot make this tactic make sense. Reportedly, some physical stores received only three dolls at a time!) 

The back of the box is illustrated here.

The back of the box features several headshots of lovely Aaliyah with the following descriptive text.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Aaliyah's debut album, Barbie™ pays homage to the "Princess of R&B," affectionately known as "Baby Girl." Aaliyah was born in Brooklyn and raised in Detroit. She gained recognition at the age of 10 when she performed on a popular TV talent search show. Four years later, at the age of 14, her debut album, "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number," was released and with three million copies sold in the US alone, it was certified double platinum.

As a tribute to the influential superstar, Aaliyah Barbie™ doll wears an outfit inspired by Aaliyah's eponymous look from her "One in a Million" music video.

 

Aaliyah Barbie wears a black faux leather costume.

From the soft, lyrical sound she dubbed "street to sweet" to her stand-out style, Aaliyah displayed an unmatched talent as a rising artist and actress. She pioneered a sound in a typically male-dominated genre that resonated with industry professionals and fans alike. Her legacy transcends music, fashion, and culture and lives on today.

My Aaliyah Barbie™ is installed in DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum. Read more about the doll where there are additional pictures in the installation.

Note to Mattel: Do better by meeting the immediate demand for dolls without creating buying frenzies as you have done repeatedly in the past. This tactic is overplayed and quite exasperating for loyal Barbie enthusiasts.

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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

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