Barbie Wants to Inspire Young Girls, Runs for President and Vice President

El Segundo, CA — While there are talks of Elizabeth Warren being Hillary Clinton's running mate in this year's presidential election, Mattel, the maker of Barbie dolls, is already imagining a world where two women are running for president and vice president.

The company introduced President and Vice President Barbie dolls Wednesday to encourage girls into leadership roles. The dolls will be part of Barbie's career line.

The El Segundo-based Mattel is also teaming up with She Should Run, a non-partisan organization dedicated to expanding the talent pool of future elected female leaders, to help motivate more women and girls to explore leadership opportunities.

The company is working with the group to highlight female leaders, offer products that enable leadership storytelling and get parents talking to their girls about being a leader. With just 39 percent of girls saying that they want to be a leader, President and Vice President Barbie will serve as an inspiration for girls to pursue their dreams and imagine what they can become, Mattel said.

Barbie has run for president in the past, but this is the first time she will run on an all-female ticket. Mattel said when a girl plays with a career Barbie doll, she imagines everything she can become.

"At She Should Run, we believe that women of all backgrounds should have an equal shot at elected leadership positions and that our country will benefit from having a government with varied perspectives and experiences," said Erin Loos Cutraro, co-founder and CEO of She Should Run. "We are excited about partnering with the Barbie brand given its reach and influence to encourage girls everywhere to unlock their leadership potential."

The dolls come in a variety of hair colors, skin tones and face shapes and are sold in packs of two, Mattel said.

"The President and Vice President dolls continue our efforts to expose girls to inspiring careers that are underrepresented by women," said Lisa McKnight, general manager and senior vice president of Barbie. "We see this doll set as a timely and topical platform to further the conversation around female leadership. We are proud to partner with She Should Run to help elevate its message and show girls that they can be and do anything."

In collaboration with She Should Run, Barbie created a worksheet to encourage girls to explore their leadership potential that can be downloaded at Barbie.com.

— Photo courtesy of Mattel