Mattel Is Donating Frontline Career Barbie Dolls To Kids Of First Responders

Barbie has a unique new way of thanking front line heroes for their work

As the coronavirus pandemic continues around the world, we’re reminded every day of the unlikely heroes in this crisis: First responders like firefighters, EMTs, and medical professionals, of course, but also teachers, journalists, restaurant workers, and more people who have had to continue working to provide all of us with essential services. Now, Mattel is honoring those workers in a special new way: For every Barbie Career doll they sell, they’ll donate one to the kids of real first responders, via the First Responders Children’s Foundation.

It’s part of the #ThankYouHeroes program, and it applies to Barbie dolls sold at participating stores — Target, Walmart, Amazon, and Kohl’s — in all 50 states. Mattel will donate up to 30,000 dolls to match people’s purchases. But the program is only running from May 14 (today) through May 17 (this Sunday), so if you want to participate, you’re going to need to pick out a doll and hit “add to cart” pretty quickly.

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Luckily, you have a lot of options. As we all know, Barbie has had more than a few major career shifts in her day, working as everything from an astrophysicist to a wildlife conservationist to a doctor to a noodle stand owner. Mattel says she’s had over 200 careers in her lifetime, and a lot of them are available as part of this program, meaning you’re almost guaranteed to find a career doll that will inspire your little one — while providing a toy to the child of a real-life hero in the process.

If you don’t manage to buy a Barbie within the three days Mattel is matching purchases with donations, don’t worry — you can still grab one of Mattel’s special edition #ThankYouHeroes toys anytime between now and May 31, and the company will donate $15 from each online purchase to #FirstRespondersFirst, a fund that’s working to get necessary personal protective equipment and other supplies for front line healthcare workers.

Mattel’s new programs are just the latest way we can all help support the workers who are keeping us safe and making sure we still have access to essential services during the coronavirus crisis. It’s just an added bonus that we can help them, while also getting some inspirational new Barbie career dolls for our own homes.