There Is Now A David Bowie Barbie If That’s How You’d Prefer To Immortalise Ziggy Stardust

bowie barbie

Mattel is celebrating the 50th anniversary of David Bowie‘s smash hit ‘Space Oddity‘ in (what we presume is) the only way it knows how: by releasing a Barbie dressed as Ziggy Stardust.

I have mixed feelings about this.

The $70 doll features the iconic red hair and moon face paint, along with the striped jumpsuit and big red boots, all juxtaposed slightly disconcertingly with Barbie’s standard bland smile.

On the Mattel website introducing the doll, the company says:

Barbie honours the ultimate pop chameleon, English singer, songwriter and actor, David Bowie, whose dramatic musical transformations continue to influence and inspire. With a career spanning over five decades, David Bowie was at the vanguard of contemporary culture as a musician, artist, and icon. He was, and remains to be, a unique presence in contemporary culture. Dressed as Bowie’s fantastic sci-fi alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, in the iconic metallic ‘space suit’, this collectible Barbie doll honours the cultural legacy of the musical genius who redefined rock and roll. Subject to availability. Colours and decorations may vary.

It is pretty cool that we’ve got Barbie dressed as one of the true androgynous bisexual icons of the era, so why does this feel so weird? Maybe it’s just that plastic, all-American rictus they insist on casting her face in. I want a Bowie-esque intense pout, please.

Seems like I’m mostly on my own in being a bit creeped out by the Bowie Barbie, ‘cos Twitter‘s flipping its shit over it, and the doll has (unsurprisingly) already sold out.

If you’re fangin’ to get your hands on the limited edition doll, I guess you’ll just have to hope for another release – or start scouring eBay, where I’m sure they’ll be showing up for astronomically inflated prices in no time. Capitalism! It’s a nightmare, but it’s apparently the only system we’ve got!!!

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