Naomi Osaka Barbie Doll sells out within hours of its release
Naomi Osaka was recently honored with her own line of Barbie dolls, which was made available for purchase by Mattel Inc. on Monday. The dolls were priced at $29.99 per piece and sold out within hours of being made available on the market.
The Barbie Mattel website now displays the following message to prospective buyers of Osaka's dolls:
"Due to high demand, we are currently sold out of this doll. Click below, and we will notify you if she becomes available for purchase."
As of now, there is no further update on when the next set of dolls will be made available. It is very likely that the next batch of Osaka dolls will sell out just as quickly, given the immense popularity of the product.
The Naomi Osaka dolls are also out of stock on Amazon, showing exactly how popular the four-time Grand Slam champion is all across the globe. The high demand has also prompted the makers of the doll to limit purchases to two per person.
The doll, part of Barbie's Role Model series, can be seen holding a Yonex tennis racket in its hand. It also sports the Japanese's Nike attire from her 2020 Australian Open campaign.
Osaka previously had a Barbie doll modeled on her by Mattel in 2019.
What I admire the most about Naomi Osaka is how she uses her platform to raise awareness about social justice: Carlyle Nuera, designer of the doll
Renowned designer Carlyle Nuera created the Naomi Osaka Barbie Doll as part of the Role Model series. He is one of the lead designers for Mattel's Barbie Signature.
Nuera has also designed Barbie dolls for Bille Jean King, Sally Ride (astronaut), and Ella Fitzgerald (American Jazz singer) in the past.
In a recent press release, Nuera showered praise on Osaka. He pointed out that he was particularly impressed with how the Japanese has used her platform to raise awareness about important issues in society.
"Obviously Naomi's athletic skill is unmatched, that's a fact," said Nuera. "But what I personally admire the most about Naomi Osaka is how she uses her platform, the spotlight on her and her voice, to raise awareness about social justice."