#Kristi Yamaguchi

[barbielore]

To celebrate the winter season more generally than just the holidays, I wanted to do a winter sports post but that quickly became far too big a job so I had to narrow it down to just one.

I've spoken before about the Ice Capades sets, so that's as good a place as any to start with talking about Barbie's adventures in ice skating.

The Ice Capades Skating Rink is a real standout to me: you may think it is because you can clip Barbie and Ken in to the rink and turn a handle so they can skate. Actually, it is because I find it really funny that the concession stand is the same size or possibly bigger than the rink. I don't know who decided that or why they designed it that way, but they definitely captured part of the experience of going to a live performance.

But outside of the Ice Capades, Barbie has dabbled many times in ice skating.

As part of the You Can Be Anything line, she has both been an ice skater and an ice skating coach. (I really like the Chelsea-sized doll in the coach pack that she is teaching. That's really charming.)

It's really hard to find a good picture of the Toys R Us exclusive Ice Skater Giftset, which is a real shame because, quite apart from the fact that it also contains Ken, which is always fun, it has some really interesting posing in-box.

Clearly someone put some real thought into that.

Olympic Skating Star Barbie showed that there was very little limit to her dreams.

And I can't talk about Olympic level skaters without acknowledging the Kristi Yamaguchi Inspiring Women doll.

But honestly, it goes way beyond just dolls. There's surprisingly also a lot of Barbie books and sticker sets themed around ice skating, too.

These are only some of them. This is not remotely comprehensive.

Not to mention the Barbie Sparkling Ice Show video game?

[theseimmortalsouls]

thinking about the person selling framed cereal boxes of kristi yamaguchi on ebay

[barbiesince59]

Inspiring Women: Kristi Yamaguchi - 2024

[osakautism]

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Kristi Yamaguchi

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Danskin 1990

[dollshobby]

Review: Kristi Yamaguchi, Barbie Inspiring Women, Mattel 2024

Welcome to the review of another incomparable representative of the most famous Inspiring Women series from Mattel - Kristi Yamaguchi 🥇⛸️

[tripleaxelrose]

Brian Boitano and Kristi Yamaguchi’s luxury grown-ass OGM friendship is the best thing in skating.

[prettyfamous]

Kristi Yamaguchi Barbie | April 2024

[barbielore]

In the United States, May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, commonly abbreviated to AAPI Month.

I know that in the past I have done a brief history of Asian representation in the Barbie line but I can't find the post in my history anymore and to be honest, it probably wasn't a very good or detailed wrap-up as I did it quite early in the blog's history - in fact, the reason I'm so sure I did a post like that even though I can't find it now is because I remember getting some feedback that the post left out a lot of stuff that I really should have talked about.

This year as a celebration of AAPI Month, Mattel have released a new doll in the Inspiring Women line: Kristi Yamaguchi.

Celebrating Yamaguchi as the first Asian-American woman to win Olympic gold in figure-skating, this doll is depicted wearing a replica of Yamaguchi's Olympic skating outfit. Notably she is not depicted with her gold medal.

But more than being a figure skater, Yamaguchi is also a children's book author. Did you know that? Because I didn't.

Mattel have not always been at the forefront of diversity especially when it comes to representations of AAPI women. There have been some improvements - Mattel have gone from the only Asian doll in the line being an unfortunately named Dolls of the World doll, to including some Asian-American or Pacific Islander friends of Barbie such as Kira and Miko, to having Barbies depicted as AAPI in the regular Fashionistas and careers line.

However, there have still been problems, such as the Tokyo Olympics Barbie series that contained no Barbies of Asian appearance.

And the last AAPI doll that I am aware of that was released in the Inspiring Women line was Anna May Wong - for AAPI month last year.

I do wonder if Mattel could be showing more dedication towards diversity by showcasing Inspiring Women of AAPI backgrounds at times of the year other than the leadup to May, as well as emphasizing more inclusion in the doll line year round.

[figureskatingcostumes]

Kristi Yamaguchi skating to Bridge Over Troubled Water in her 2004 show Kristi Yamaguchi's Salute to American Music.

(Source: scratchspin.com)

[osakautism]

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Kristi Yamaguchi

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