HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP MAKE COAST GUARD BARBIE A REALITY


By bblouin
Coat Guard Barbie with an American Flag behind her.

Barbara Millicent Roberts may be better known as Barbie, but one of the world’s most iconic toys stays busy. She has held more than 200 careers since her creation in 1959, including many positions in the American Armed Forces. Barbie military dolls have seen her serve in the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force, but there’s now a call for her to serve once more. The world needs Coast Guard Barbie.

Radio Personality Mary Ellen Murphy Is Pushing for Coast Guard Barbie

You might think Ken is the perfect candidate for being a Coastie as his official job is “beach.” Well, he can come along if he wants, but Coast Guard Barbie will need to answer the call of duty. At least that’s the opinion of Mary Ellen Murphy, Morning Host on WGHN 92.1, who we believe makes a great point. "So, I went to the Mattel website looking for a Coast Guard Barbie, and there was nothing there. So, I went to Google, and typed in 'Coast Guard Barbie,' and the first thing that popped up was a story about from Military Times that they did on Barbie. Barbie is represented in every sect of the military except the (USCG), and no one knows why," said Murphy. The inspiration to dive into a Coastie Barbie came after Murphy went to Goodwill in 2023. Driving home after receiving radiation for breast cancer, Murphy decided to purchase the Barbie Beach House she found to play with her granddaughters, before searching for a Coast Guard Barbie to bring along for the ride. However, as mentioned before, Barbara Millicent Roberts has served in many facets for her country, but the USCG isn’t one of them.

Calling Upon the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival for Change

2024 was the 100th anniversary of the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival and Murphy saw an opportunity. Rather than just accept it or complain, she decided to get involved and called for change. So, she created a poll for people to vote. She used her voice to gather support for a vote to include Barbie as a Coast Guardsman. The hope is that Mattel sees just how many people would love a USCG Barbie and inspires a new occupation to be added to her already illustrious list of careers. If you’d like to join the cause, you can go online to vote yes for Coast Guard Barbie on WGHN’s website.

The Potential Impact of a Coast Guard Barbie

How much Barbie military dolls impact the life of a child may never be fully understood, but from a societal standpoint, it’s impossible to ignore the toy’s impact. Barbie has been used to help normalize non-traditional roles and show the career possibilities for women are endless. This is exactly why having a Coast Guard Barbie makes perfect sense as it’s a great way to showcase a promising career path of service while also helping a branch of the military suffering from recruitment woes. As for now, we’ll have to wait and hope Barbara can serve once again. This time in the Coast Guard, hopefully inspiring the next generation along the way. From there, perhaps a Space Force Barbie? After all, she has the experience as she was an Astronaut before Neil Armstrong even went to the moon. Only time will tell. Suggested reads:


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