Mattel’s Barbie Signature dolls are coveted by collectors and children alike, often selling out and bringing acclaim to the artists and designers who create them. Otis College of Art and Design is proud to have three alumni who have designed some of today’s most sought after Barbie dolls, such as the Naomi Osaka doll, designed by Carlyle Nuera (’10 BFA Product Design); a pink Dia de Los Muertos doll, designed by Javier Maebe (’12 BFA Toy Design); and the Lunar New Year Barbie, designed by Joyce Chen (’14 BFA Fashion Design).
Lunar New Year is a special celebration in China and other Asian countries that is receiving increased attention in the U.S. It begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon some 15 days later. The 2024 Lunar New Year Barbie is dressed in a traditional xifu costume, inspired by the Peking Opera that is often performed to celebrate this holiday. The red fabric and peony print symbolize good fortune and are complemented by a peony headdress and blue shoes. According to Mattel’s description, the doll’s “dramatic water sleeves are used to create beautiful hand motions and expressions on stage.”
For Joyce Chen (’14 BFA Fashion Design), designing the Lunar New Year Barbie holds personal significance. This year marks her fourth year designing the special edition doll, after designing the 2021, 2022, and 2023 versions. “Growing up as an Asian American, it was rare to find toys or dolls that I could connect with,” she says. “Being able to design the Lunar New Year dolls has been so meaningful because I can get in touch with and be inspired by my own culture.”
Chen shares more about her inspiration for this year’s Lunar New Year Barbie below and how her time at Otis College led to an exciting and inspiring career.
How did your time at Otis influence your toy design career?
I majored in Fashion Design and through the internship fair I was offered an opportunity to intern with Mattel’s Barbie Design team the summer before my senior year. As a fashion student, I had never imagined the possibility of toy design as a career, so I’m really grateful to Otis for broadening my horizons and leading me to this path. Because of my internship with Barbie, I was able to find a true passion for doll design, which influenced me to ultimately pursue it as a career.
What has your career trajectory been like since you graduated from Otis?
Since I discovered my love for doll design during my Barbie summer internship, I was determined to return to Mattel after graduating. During my senior year, I made sure to keep in contact with my mentors. At the Otis senior fashion show the Mattel table happened to be next to where I was sitting. I was able to reconnect with many of my colleagues. Through that, I was contacted by my mentor about a temp design opportunity for the Disney Princess license team at Mattel, made my way back to the company, and eventually back on the Barbie design team as a full-time designer.
What inspired your design for the 2024 Lunar New Year Barbie?
This year’s doll is inspired by the costumes of the Peking Opera. I particularly drew inspiration from the famous Chinese play, The Peony Pavilion, taking influence from a scene in which the main character sings in a garden about her hopes and dreams. To tie the design to the Lunar New Year, I used the peony flower as the main motif of her dress artwork—it’s a symbol of nobility in the Peking Opera and a token of luck and fortune for the holiday.
“As a fashion student, I had never imagined the possibility of toy design as a career, so I’m really grateful to Otis for broadening my horizons and leading me to this path.”
How impactful is it to be able to design products for a broad consumer market that have such big cultural meanings behind them?
Being able to design the Lunar New Year Barbie series has felt really impactful for both me as a designer and to the consumer market that has always been yearning for more representation in the doll category. Growing up as an Asian American, I feel like it was rare to find toys or dolls that I could connect with. Being able to design the Lunar New Year dolls has been so meaningful for me because I can get in touch with and be inspired by my own culture. I also see how important it is for others when they have a doll that they can relate to. It makes me happy to create such a special Barbie for a holiday that is celebrated by many.
What are some exciting things you’re seeing in your industry?
I love seeing the continued growth of diversity and representation in dolls, and hope that one day every person in the world can find a doll they connect with.
Do you have any advice for young toy designers?
My advice for young toy designers is to focus on where your passions are and find what makes you the happiest when you’re creating. With toys, you are creating something that can spark wonder and creativity for children, so think about what type of message you want to portray to others with your design. Your design will always reflect a part of you.
Main image courtesy of Mattel. Inset images of Joyce Chen with one of her Barbie designs, and group shot of Javier Maebe (’12 BFA Toy Design), Chen, and Carlyle Nuera (’10 BFA Product Design) photographed by Danielle Vega/Otis College of Art and Design.