Barbie dolls have long inspired young girls with their beauty and fashion sense. Now they're inspiring them with their brains and bravado, too.
On Tuesday, just ahead of International Women's Day, Barbie introduced a batch of dolls based on real-life figures.
The new dolls came after Mattel, maker of Barbie, conducted a survey of 8,000 mothers around the globe and found that 86% are worried about the kind of role models their daughters are exposed to.
"Girls have always been able to play out different roles and careers with Barbie and we are thrilled to shine a light on real life role models to remind them that they can be anything," wrote Lisa McKnight, senior vice president and general manager of Barbie, in a news release.
This week Mattel introduced dolls in two separate series of Barbies: "Inspiring Women," based on historical figures, and new additions to its "Shero" line of dolls named for inspirational contemporary women.
Both lines reflect the Barbie brand's highest honor: a one-of-a-kind doll made in a real woman's likeness.
(CNN contributed to this article.)