Mattel unveiled a Whitney Houston Barbie doll Saturday night at The Whitley Hotel in Atlanta, dressing the collectible in a purple tank dress, colorful drop earrings and vibrant eye makeup styled after the singer's look in her “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” music video, complete with a tiny microphone stand. The doll retails for about $59 and is being sold through Target, Amazon, Walmart and Mattel Creations online.
The unveiling happened at the 5th Annual Legacy of Love Gala, held on what would have been Houston's 63rd birthday eve, according to ABC7 New York. As reported by K-Jewel 99.3 FM, the gala is the annual fundraising event for the Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation, the charity founded by the singer that continues offering community grants and college scholarships for youth pursuing arts degrees at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The evening featured a headline performance from 13-time Grammy winner Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, who once wrote and produced songs for Houston including “Exhale (Shoop Shoop),” and was co-hosted by Entertainment Tonight's Kevin Frazier alongside Pat Houston, president of the foundation, per the same account. Pat Houston, who also serves as executor of the Estate of Whitney E. Houston, told the gala crowd that Mattel's creation of the doll fulfilled “one of Whitney's dreams” while honoring her enduring grace and global influence, the station reported.
A Donation Tied to the Dream Gap Project
Alongside the doll's launch, Mattel's Barbie Dream Gap Project announced a direct financial donation to the Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation to support youth educational opportunities, grants and scholarships, according to the same report from K-Jewel 99.3 FM. The Dream Gap Project is Mattel's global initiative aimed at providing resources to empower young girls.
The Houston doll now joins Mattel's Barbie Signature Music Series, a line of adult collector dolls that has previously honored Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, Gloria Estefan, Mariah Carey, Celia Cruz and Elton John, as noted by Hampstead Highgate Express.
The Song Behind the Doll's Look
“I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” came out in April 1987 as the lead single from Houston's sophomore album, Whitney, produced by Narada Michael Walden and written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam, and it went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, in 1988, according to WERS 88.9FM. That album made history in its own right: Whitney became the first album by a female artist in Billboard 200 history to debut at number one, spinning off four consecutive chart-topping singles as part of Houston's record-setting run of seven straight Billboard Hot 100 number ones, per Wikipedia's entry on the album.
An Auction Runs Alongside the Gala
Timed to the same weekend, Julien's Auctions organized a charity sale of Houston's stage-worn wardrobe, awards and personal memorabilia, with 100 percent of proceeds directed to the Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation, according to 92Q. Items on display at the gala included Houston's red leather Versace outfit from the 1999 VH1 Divas special and RIAA sales awards, the outlet reported.
Houston sold more than 220 million records worldwide before her death at age 48 in February 2012, a total that keeps her ranked among the best-selling female recording artists in history, per Hampstead Highgate Express. Houston died in Beverly Hills on the eve of the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. The foundation that bears her name traces back to 1989, when she first established the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children before it was later restructured into its current form.
