Barbie Robotics Engineer Doll Inspires Girls to Pursue STEM Careers

Barbie Robotics Engineer Doll, the 2018 Career of the Year Barbie Doll, recently made her debut, bringing awareness to STEM careers and inspiring girls to explore science, technology, engineering and math fields. Thank you to our friends at Mattel for providing product for review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Women account for only 24 percent of STEM workers in the U.S., according to a 2017 report from the Department of Commerce. Mattel hopes that this new Barbie will spark more interest in STEM learning and create more awareness of career opportunities in those fields for women.

We got to play with the new Barbie and check out all the exciting things she has to offer. The new doll is available in four skin tones and comes equipped with a laptop, robot and goggles. The girls loved that her laptop opens up and they could pretend to work on projects.

Mattel also partnered with Tynker — an educational programming platform aimed at youngsters — to create six free web classes where Barbie teaches kids how to animate a robot with commands. Mattel plans to release a coding e-book and provide a grant to support Black Girls CODE.

The Tynker app is designed to teach logic, problem-solving and the basic building blocks of coding. So while your child is engaged in imaginative play with Barbie and Tynker they are learning real coding skills. I love that!

Barbie Robotics Engineer Dolls retail for $13.99 and are available online and in-stores now.

As a life-long fan of the Barbie brand I’m excited to see this new doll shed light on the STEM field and inspire young girls to learn new skill sets. It’s an exciting field and one that women need to be encouraged and empowered to explore. What better time or way than through childhood and the art of play!