Seems like everyone wanted that Ava DuVernay Barbie just as much as we did

Parents of color have long said that if more dolls of color were available, they’d be the first to buy them for their kids. But for that to happen, first the toy industry must catch up with the needs of an increasingly diverse population of American kids and shoppers. 

Well, it looks like doll-maker Mattel has finally heard the call. After online petitions flooded in, the company has widely released what may be one of the hottest toys of the holiday season: A doll version of Selma director Ava DuVernay

Originally, the doll was produced for a limited edition “Sheroes” collection that included doll versions of DuVernay, Broadway actress Kristin Chenoweth, singer Trisha Yearwood, and Shameless star Emmy Rossum. But after Twitter users demanded that the company make the doll more widely available, Mattel decided to produce more of the dolls with proceeds from their sales going toward two of DuVernay’s favorite causes: Advocacy organization Color of Change and Witness, a human rights organization that teaches people how to use video to protect themselves from human rights violations.

The response to this new production run has been overwhelmingly positive. The doll sold out on thebarbiecollection.com in just 2.5 seconds  and, at the time of writing, is no longer available on Amazon, much to the excitement of both DuVernay and Mattel.

“People have really been kind talking about why they are embracing this doll, but it’s certainly not about me. It’s about the image,” DuVernay told Buzzfeed News. “It’s about balance. It’s about the full spectrum of who we are. [Black women] have all different kinds of hair, all different kinds of occupations, all different kinds of passions, so I think what folks might be responding to is the variance.”

That’s definitely the case: If you missed your chance to grab one, a few Ava DuVernay dolls are already available on eBay for about $200.

[Images via Twitter]