The marketing partnership covers three areas, including a showcase of
60 Barbie dolls dressed by 18 local creatives and design brands
Singapore, 1 November 2019 – The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) teams up with the iconic Barbie to profile home-grown talents, and share how these talents bring their respective brand campaigns – Passion Made Possible and You Can Be Anything – to life through their inspirational stories.
The marketing partnership covers three areas: a showcase of 60 Barbie dolls in customised outfits created by 18 local creatives and design brands; a brand video; and a social media contest. The collaboration, which is part of Barbie’s 60th anniversary celebrations, is the first between both brands in Singapore.
Ms Lim Shoo Ling, STB Brand Director, said: “We strongly believe in supporting home-grown talents and celebrating their stories in various ways. Similarly, Barbie focuses on empowering girls and women, and inspiring them to dream big. Barbie’s 60th anniversary provides us an opportunity to collaborate and tell some great Singaporean stories of passion made possible, as well as showcase the breadth and depth of our retail and design scenes.”
Mr Ivan Franco, Country Manager, Mattel South Asia, said: “As part of Barbie’s 60th anniversary celebration in Singapore, we are pleased to partner Singapore Tourism Board to empower the next generation of young girls on their pursuit of their dreams, where they can be anything. We want to continue the legacy of Barbie by working with home-grown talents, to inspire the young girls to go forth to experience their dream career.”
Profiling Local Talent through Barbie Doll Showcase at Street Superior Festival
The Barbie doll showcase will make its debut at the Street Superior Festival (SSF), held from 2nd to 3rd November at *SCAPE, #02-14. The festival is Singapore’s premier street culture convention, bringing together international streetwear and sneakers, music, digital and street artists and enthusiasts.
The showcase features the original works of 18 local creatives and design brands, hailing from a range of design disciplines, including illustration, embroidery, and fashion design. Among them are fashion designer and stylist Josiah Chua, and lifestyle brand Onlewo, as well as Jian Yang, whose collection of some 12,000 Barbie dolls ranks among the world’s largest.
The artists and designers were set a challenge – to push the boundaries of their creativity and customise outfits for Barbie dolls inspired by Singapore culture, street culture or other unique ideas. For example, Josiah Chua turned to flowers and spices commonly found in local cuisine, using turmeric, roselle and butterfly pea flowers to dye fabric and create miniature gowns for two dolls. His creations pay tribute to Singapore’s reputation as a City in a Garden, as well as the country’s diverse food culture. Onlewo created Peranakan-inspired outfits for three dolls, using their signature prints and patterns. Please refer to Annex A for the full set of profiles.
The showcase will be opened to festival goers and public during the festival from 2nd to 3rd November. The public can continue to access the showcase from 4th to 30th November.
Leading the Tribe: Women Empowering Girls through Personal Narrative
Since 1959, Barbie’s purpose has been to inspire the limitless potential in every girl. Through generations, Barbie has been depicted as a role model and showed girls that they can be anything. This year, Barbie continues to be brought to life through a fun, entertaining and inspiring video launched today.
The video features three young girls, aged 8 to 11, dreaming of a career in baking, fashion or with animals. Each girl is paired with a talented woman in her dream career, namely Plain Vanilla Bakery founder Vanessa Kenchington, YeoMama Batik co-founder Desleen Yeo, and Singapore Zoo’s first female elephant keeper Nursyafiqah Mohamed Yusof. The pairs represent the Foodie, Collector, and Explorer Passion Tribes[1] respectively.
In the video, the girls shadow these women at work, and learn how they discovered and pursued their passions. Given the chance to experience their dream career, the girls are thus empowered and inspired to dream big and explore their passions.
Personalities |
|
Foodie |
Kayler, 8 years old, enjoys baking during her free time. She is inspired by fellow baker, Vanessa Kenchington, founder of Plain Vanilla Bakery. |
Collector |
Iva, 9 years old, is a little fashionista at heart. She is inspired by Desleen Yeo, fashion designer and co-founder of YeoMama Batik. |
Explorer |
Sophia, 11 years old, loves animals and visits the zoo frequently. She is inspired by Nursyafiqah Mohamed Yusof, the first female elephant keeper at the Singapore Zoo. |
More information on the video will be available at http://bit.ly/STBxBarbie.
#BarbieVisitsSingapore Photo Contest
Finally, STB and Barbie will organise a month-long social media contest from 1st November to 15th December 2019. Barbie will visit six tourist attractions around Singapore, and participants will be invited to guess the location and state why they would love to visit it. Participants stand to win Barbie hampers and Merli plushies. Look out for more details at www.facebook.com/Barbie.
[1] STB groups potential visitors based on their interests and motivations for travel. There are seven Passion Tribes including Foodie, Explorer and Collector.
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About Barbie
Since 1959, Barbie has inspired girls to be anything. From princess to president, astronaut to zoologist, there isn’t a plastic ceiling Barbie hasn’t broken. Today, with over 200 careers and counting, she continues to inspire the limitless potential in every girl.
About Mattel
Mattel is a leading global children's entertainment company that specializes in design and production of quality toys and consumer products. We create innovative products and experiences that inspire, entertain and develop children through play. We engage consumers through our portfolio of iconic franchises, including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, American Girl®, Fisher-Price®, Thomas & Friends® and Mega®, as well as other popular brands that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include film and television content, gaming, music and live events. We operate in 40 locations and sell products in more than 150 countries in collaboration with the world's leading retail and technology companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in exploring the wonder of childhood and empowering kids to reach their full potential. Visit us online at www.mattel.com.
About the Singapore Tourism Board
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is the lead development agency for tourism, one of Singapore’s key economic sectors. Together with industry partners and the community, we shape a dynamic Singapore tourism landscape. We bring the Passion Made Possible brand to life by differentiating Singapore as a vibrant destination that inspires people to share and deepen their passions.
More: www.stb.gov.sg or www.visitsingapore.com