• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

It’s deja vu, Barbie style.

“From the department of, ‘this hasn’t happened already?’: Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam champion and the greatest women’s tennis player of the modern era, has a signature Barbie — for the sport she dominated,” according to The Athletic. Mattel, Inc., which owns the Barbie franchise, says “ the doll, based on Williams’ 2005 Australian Open title win, would be released immediately. It echoes her look from the tournament where she won her seventh major, featuring the green-and-white colorway that looked like something that a superhero might wear.”

It is the second Serena Williams Barbie of 2026. The first was released in March to mark International Women’s Day and featured the tennis legend in a suit, focusing on her career as an investor and entrepreneur since she had “evolved away” from tennis in 2022. This time around, the doll celebrates the International Day of the Girl.

“When it comes to picking which legendary outfit Williams would be memorialized in, Mattel had plenty of inspiration,” according to USA Today. “They could've selected Williams' iconic denim tennis skirt from the 2004 US Open. Or her edgy black catsuit worn at the 2018 French Open, her first Grand Slam since giving birth to her daughter, Olympia, in September 2017. Mattel could've event taken it back to her first Grand Slam singles title at the 1999 US Open, where she stole the spotlight in her colorful beads and yellow Puma dress.”

Notably, the new Barbie is wearing the neon green and white mesh cutout top and white skirt Williams wore to defeat fellow American Lindsay Davenport 2–6, 6–3, 6–0 in the final. The outfit includes a matching sweatband, knee-high boots and a tennis racket.

“Williams’ partnership with Barbie carries personal significance as a mother of two daughters who enjoy playing with the dolls,” according to Essence. “Growing up, the tennis champion had limited access to Black dolls, making the opportunity to see herself represented particularly meaningful. She also participated in the design process, paying close attention to the doll’s complexion and hair texture.”

The Barbie Dream Gap Project is making a donation to Mrs. Rina’s House of Blessings, a cause close to Williams’ heart, to fund programming focused on educating, training and inspiring children of struggling families to become compassionate leaders, according to People.  

“Growing up, I didn’t see many girls who looked like me being told there was no limit to who they could become,” Williams said in a release. “I want every girl who plays with this doll to see possibility—not just in me, but in herself. She can dream big, work hard, change direction, break barriers, and become anything she chooses. That’s what makes having my own Barbie so meaningful to me.”