Barbie is an American icon...so, why not have some Asian Pacific American friends. Actually, although she was introduced to the American public in the late 1950s, Barbie didn't start seeing Pacific Islanders until the release of the Hawaiian Barbie in 1978 and she didn't see Asians until 1981 when Mattel released the "Oriental Barbie." In the 80s, Mattel started giving Barbie some ethnic friends. Miko was the first named Asian Pacific American. And then, Barbie and the Rockers had an Asian Pacific American member named Dana. Then in the 90s, Barbie seemed to give up her ethnic friends for others. First Barbie found an African-American friend in Christie. Then, she found her Latina friend Teresa. Finally, rounding out the "Barbie goes ethnic" bunch is Kira, an Asian-American. It's not quite certain which Asian ethnicity Kira represents as it seems I have seen her looking different in each Barbie line: Chinese, Filipina, Japanese... But, just so you're not confused, they usually have a little Asian American girl on the back of the package just to prove it. And then, in 2000, Mari from Japan was added to the wildly popular Generation Girl line. But, with all the ethnic Barbie's abounding , Asian Pacific Americans seem to take the back seat in Barbie's world. Kira seems to be the least used "friend of Barbie" to appear in Barbie lines. At the same time, it wasn't until the 2nd generation of Generation Girl that they decided to release an Asian American. Finally, why, outside of Hawaiian Ken, was there never a love interest for her Asian Pacific American friends? I'd love to see an Asian Pacific American Ken. If you're interested, you can read this May 27, 2000 Boston Globe Article which talks about Mattel's non-inclusion of an APA Barbie in its President 2000 race. It seems as the company felt compelled not to create a mold because APA kids don't mind playing with white dolls... But, still, there was the great Dolls of the World collection that featured Barbies from several Asian Pacific countries, including China, Thailand, Japan and so on. Check out the Asian Pacific Barbie Page for more information. Anyway, here are a few Asian Pacific American Barbies I have collected:

Kira Barbie: Butterfly Art Line 1998, Mattel Individual Figure Anyway, the one that I bought was the Butterfly Art Kira. She actually looks Filipina in this line. I've also seen Kira in the Soccer Barbie and Sit and Style lines. Anyway, from what I understand, the Butterfly Art line was short lived because they discovered that the tatoos were toxic to some youth.

Mari Barbie: Generation Girl Line 2000, Mattel Individual Figure In March 2000, Mattel released a second generation to it's popular "Generation Girl" line. The original line contained no Asian Pacific Americans, but this new generation contained "Mari" or Mariko Nakano from Tokyo, Japan. I actually don't know what to think of her. On one hand, she's trendy and hip like the other Generation Girls, but at the same time, I have to ask myself why Mattel needed to include a computer in her packaging. And, while most Generation Girls have aspirations to have creative careers such as musicians and artists, Mari wants to become a radio engineer. So, while breaking down some stereotypes, I feel Mattel needed to include others just so people wouldn't be confused that she is Asian. You can check out more information on her at Mattel's Mari Web Page

Barbie Barbie: Philippine Centennial Line 1998, Mattel (Philippines) Individual Figure In celebration of the 100 year anniversary of the Philippines' declaration of independence from Spain (June 12, 1898), Mattel's Philippine branch released a series of Barbies in the native dress in 1898. They are actually quite cool, despite the fact that they didn't really change the face painting on the dolls...so, Philippine Centennial Barbie looks like Barbie with dark hair and darker skin. The line has several different costumes, ranging from the plain to the ornate.

Ken Barbie: Philippine Islands Line 1998, Mattel (Philippines) Individual Figure Okay, remember how I said there were no Asian Pacific American Kens...well, there is an Asian Ken. Philippine Islands Ken comes in 3 variation of Barong Tagalog, a shirt usually made of pineapple fibers and used for formal events. Like Philippine Centennial Barbie, our friend Ken is produced in the Philippines. Also like his Philippine Barbie counterpart, his head design wasn't really altered from the standard Ken and was given darker skin and dark hair.

Thai Barbie Barbie: Dolls of the World Line 1998, Mattel Individual Figure This Thai Barbie is part of Barbie's Dolls of the World collection. I actually have to say that this figure is one of my favorites because of the beautifully ornate costume of green, red and gold. A nice narrative about Thailand is included on the back of the package for educational purposes. Again, a wonderful doll.

Kira Surf City Line 2000, Mattel Individual Figure Well, she might not be able to run for President (can you tell I'm bitter?), but she's ready to have fun surfing! Yes, Kira is part of the "Surf City" line that features pretty much all of Barbie's friends. What's strange is that this simple doll (only comes with a bikini) in economic packaging (in most places, this doll runs about $4.99) is actually kind of cool. I don't know if it's me and I'm just seeing things, but the sculpt of her face is nicer than other Kiras. I kept staring at Surf City Kira and Butterfly Art Kira and it just seems the former is more appealing with more realistic Asian features...but, if you have a different opinion, please let me know.

Princess of India Barbie: Dolls of the World - The Princess Collection 2000, Mattel Individual Figure First, no APA President 2000 Barbie candidate. Then, Mattel features an Asian Pacific American as a "westernized" princess in, what I would call, the vapid Barbie Princess line. And, just when I think all is lost, Barbie Collectibles comes out with this great line of princesses from around the world. Amongst them -- the Princess of India, wearing traditional clothes. It's quite beautifully done. The back of the box features a narrative about the fictional Princess of India and introduces collectors to terms such as mahal, sari and namaste. My only problem is the simplification of "bindi" by defining it as "the dot on her forehead" and leaving it at that. But, this aside, the Princess of India truly is an Asian princess.

Jester Jenny Kelly's Club Castle Line 2000, Mattel Individual Figure Okay...I'm actually not sure if this figure is Asian Pacific American. I was at Toys 'R Us, wandering down the Barbie aisle to see from what other lines Kira was excluded when my eye spotted this little munchkin. I must have stared at her for about 10 minutes and compared her to the other dolls in the new and popular Kelly's Club line. Kelly (for those not in the know) is the baby sister of Barbie and has spawned a whole miniaturized collection of her own. The only problem is that previous dolls named Jenny in this line did not look Asian Pacific American. In fact, Spring Cleaning Jenny has blue and rounder eyes. But, this doll has brown, almond shaped eyes and a more olive skinned complexion. If you happen to know what ethnicity she is, please e-mail me at loren@javier.com...otherwise, she's staying APA to me.

Kira Picture Pockets Line 2000, Mattel Individual Figure I finally picked this one up. It's amazing to me to look at the giant "Wall O' Barbie" in any Toys 'R Us or KB Toys and see all the White, Black and Latina faces. It seems like with almost every line, there is a Barbie, Christie and Teresa. Then, every so often, you see Kira. I have to wonder how Mattel makes the choices. And, it never seems to be any of the cool lines. I have to admit...Barbie has some really fun clothing lines full of different patterns and textures. But, everytime I see Kira, its usually in a bright color variation of the one Barbie is wearing. In this case, she is wearing a bright green and white outfit that comes with a variety of photos you can place in a pocket on the front of her blouse. It's perhaps one of the cooler lines with Kira in it, but not as cool as some of the others I've seen for the other ethnic dolls.

Wish List for Barbies The following are items I still need to complete the set. If you notice any other items that should be added, please e-mail me. Hawaiian Barbie (1978) Hawaiian Ken (1979) Oriental Barbie (1981) Dolls of the World: Indian Barbie - First Edition (1982) Hawaiian Ken (1984) Dolls of the World: Japanese Barbie - First Edition (1985) Dolls of the World: Polynesian Barbie (1985) Tropical Miko (1986) Barbie & the Rockers Dana (1986) Barbie & the Rockers Dana - Second Edition (1987) Island Fun Miko (1988) Dolls of the World: Korean Barbie (1988) Beach Blast Miko (1989) Special Edition: UNICEF Asian Barbie (1989) Hawaiian Fun Kira (1990) Summit Asian Barbie (1990) Wet 'n Wild Kira (1990) United Colors of Benetton Kira (1990) All American Kira (1991) Sun Sensation Kira (1991) Dolls of the World: Malaysian Barbie (1991) Glitter Beach Kira (1993) My First Asian Barbie (1993) Dolls of the World: Chinese Barbie (1994) Flying Hero Kira (1995) Tropical Splash Kira (1995) Dolls of the World: Japanese Barbie - Second Edition (1996) Dolls of the World: Indian Barbie - Second Edition (1996) Great Eras: Chinese Empress Barbie (1997) My First Jewelry Fun Asian Barbie (1997) Splash 'n Color Kira (1997) Bob Mackie's Sapphire Splendor (1997) Very Velvet Kira (1998) Asian Princess Barbie (1998) Movin' Groovin' Kira (1998) Fantasy Goddess of Asia (1998) Spiegel's Qi-Pao Barbie (1998) Soccer Kira (1999) Sit in Style Kira (2000)

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