Barbie dolls have come a long way in recognising diversity especially when it comes to the roles of women in society.

The latest in its representation of smart, strong women making the world a better place is a series of dolls featuring global heroes fighting the COVID-19 pandemic including the scientist who designed the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

Yes, the maker of Barbie, Mattel, has created a doll Prof Dame Sarah Gilbert.

According to BBC, Gilbert initially found the doll 'very strange". However, she hoped that it will inspire children and introduce them to careers that they might not be familiar with usually.

“I am passionate about inspiring the next generation of girls into Stem careers and hope that children who see my Barbie will realise how vital careers in science are to help the world around us,” she told BBC.

Honouring global COVID-19 pandemic heroes

Along with the doll of Gilbert, Mattel has also created five other dolls honoring heroes who have been leading the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

The five heroes from around the world are:

• Amy O’Sullivan, RN (United States) - Emergency Room nurse Amy O’Sullivan treated the first COVID-19 patient in Brooklyn at the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, became ill and was intubated, then a few weeks later returned to work to continue taking care of others.
• Dr. Audrey Sue Cruz (United States) - Dr. Cruz, a frontline worker from Las Vegas, NV, during the pandemic, joined forces with other Asian-American physicians to fight racial bias and discrimination.
• Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa (Canada)- A psychiatry resident at the University of Toronto, Canada, Dr. Oriuwa has advocated against systemic racism in healthcare, which has been further highlighted by the pandemic.
• Professor Sarah Gilbert (United Kingdom) - As a professor of vaccinology, Professor Gilbert led the development of the University of Oxford vaccine in the U.K.
• Dr. Jaqueline Goes de Jesus (Brazil) - As a biomedical researcher, Dr. Goes is credited for leading the sequencing of the genome of a COVID-19 variant in Brazil.
• Dr. Kirby White (Australia) - A General Practitioner in Australia, Dr. White co-founded the Gowns for Doctors initiative – by developing a PPE gown that could be laundered and re-used, allowing frontline workers in Victoria, AU to continue seeing patients during the pandemic.

Mattel Senior Vice President and Global Head of Barbie and Dolls, Lisa McKnight said Barbie recognizes that all frontline workers have made tremendous sacrifices when confronting the pandemic and the challenges it heightened.

"To shine a light on their efforts, we are sharing their stories and leveraging Barbie’s platform to inspire the next generation to take after these heroes and give back. Our hope is to nurture and ignite the imaginations of children playing out their own storyline as heroes," she said in a statement shared on the company's website.

That’s a really good representation for dolls.

Good job, Mattel!