EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Barbie dolls will honor tennis champion Venus Williams and eight other athletes as part of a project announced by Mattel on Wednesday.
The others being depicted as dolls are gymnasts Rebeca Andrade and Alexa Moreno, soccer players Mary Fowler and Christine Sinclair, boxer Estelle Mossely, swimmer Federica Pellegrini, paratriathlete Susana Rodriguez and track and field sprinter Ewa Swoboda.
![Venus Williams-Barbie](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/0d/a0d14d1e-bdb3-5b34-a27c-d12c0af11e96/664e250662268.image.jpg?resize=150%2C123 150w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/0d/a0d14d1e-bdb3-5b34-a27c-d12c0af11e96/664e250662268.image.jpg?resize=200%2C164 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/0d/a0d14d1e-bdb3-5b34-a27c-d12c0af11e96/664e250662268.image.jpg?resize=225%2C184 225w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/0d/a0d14d1e-bdb3-5b34-a27c-d12c0af11e96/664e250662268.image.jpg?resize=300%2C246 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/0d/a0d14d1e-bdb3-5b34-a27c-d12c0af11e96/664e250662268.image.jpg?resize=400%2C328 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/0d/a0d14d1e-bdb3-5b34-a27c-d12c0af11e96/664e250662268.image.jpg?resize=540%2C442 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/0d/a0d14d1e-bdb3-5b34-a27c-d12c0af11e96/664e250662268.image.jpg?resize=640%2C524 640w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/0d/a0d14d1e-bdb3-5b34-a27c-d12c0af11e96/664e250662268.image.jpg?resize=750%2C614 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/0d/a0d14d1e-bdb3-5b34-a27c-d12c0af11e96/664e250662268.image.jpg?resize=990%2C811 990w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/0d/a0d14d1e-bdb3-5b34-a27c-d12c0af11e96/664e250662268.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C848 1035w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/0d/a0d14d1e-bdb3-5b34-a27c-d12c0af11e96/664e250662268.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C983 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/0d/a0d14d1e-bdb3-5b34-a27c-d12c0af11e96/664e250662268.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C1092 1333w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/0d/a0d14d1e-bdb3-5b34-a27c-d12c0af11e96/664e250662268.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C1209 1476w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/0d/a0d14d1e-bdb3-5b34-a27c-d12c0af11e96/664e250662268.image.jpg?resize=1591%2C1303 2008w)
Venus Williams holds a Venus Williams Barbie Doll on May 14 in Puerto Rico.
"Throughout my career, I've always been driven by the idea of shattering glass ceilings and staying true to myself, and Barbie's mission couldn't resonate more deeply with that ethos," said Williams, who has won seven Grand Slam singles titles.
The brand wanted to note "the impact of sports in fostering self-confidence, ambition, and empowerment among the next generation," Mattel's Krista Berger said.
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A Venus Williams Barbie Doll
How much would it cost to repair Barbie's Dreamhouse in the real world?
The cost of repairing Barbie's Dreamhouse
![The cost of repairing Barbie's Dreamhouse](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/45/8452db1b-1f75-5eac-8445-e6ecc6ba64dd/664e54f3636d1.image.png?resize=150%2C172 150w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/45/8452db1b-1f75-5eac-8445-e6ecc6ba64dd/664e54f3636d1.image.png?resize=200%2C229 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/45/8452db1b-1f75-5eac-8445-e6ecc6ba64dd/664e54f3636d1.image.png?resize=225%2C258 225w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/45/8452db1b-1f75-5eac-8445-e6ecc6ba64dd/664e54f3636d1.image.png?resize=300%2C344 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/45/8452db1b-1f75-5eac-8445-e6ecc6ba64dd/664e54f3636d1.image.png?resize=400%2C459 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/45/8452db1b-1f75-5eac-8445-e6ecc6ba64dd/664e54f3636d1.image.png?resize=540%2C619 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/45/8452db1b-1f75-5eac-8445-e6ecc6ba64dd/664e54f3636d1.image.png?resize=640%2C734 640w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/45/8452db1b-1f75-5eac-8445-e6ecc6ba64dd/664e54f3636d1.image.png?resize=750%2C860 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/45/8452db1b-1f75-5eac-8445-e6ecc6ba64dd/664e54f3636d1.image.png?resize=990%2C1135 990w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/45/8452db1b-1f75-5eac-8445-e6ecc6ba64dd/664e54f3636d1.image.png?resize=1035%2C1186 1035w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/45/8452db1b-1f75-5eac-8445-e6ecc6ba64dd/664e54f3636d1.image.png?resize=1080%2C1238 1200w)
We'll assume the three-story Dreamhouse from the "Barbie" movie is around 1,230 square feet with a 1,230-square-foot yard based on her driveway.
Let's look in more detail at the estimated cost of maintaining and renovating Barbie's Dreamhouse.
The picture-perfect lawn
Barbie's Dreamhouse has a modest lawn dotted with daffodils up front and lined with birds of paradise plants and a hedge out back. There are also some towering palm trees and smaller, more manageable banana trees close to her property.
We've broken down the cost of lawn care needed to maintain this picture-perfect, 1,230-square-foot yard.
- Mowing: $1,560 for the whole year
- Weed control: $130 for two weed control treatments a year
- Tree trimming (if she's responsible for trimming the trees near her home): $200
- Yard cleanup: $100 once a year
Let's get the elephant out of the room: Wouldn't Barbie have fake grass on her lawn since she lives in a plastic world? Assuming her lawn has artificial turf, it would have cost Barbie around $15,165 to have it installed — a bit pricey, but she'd never have to worry about mowing her lawn. A life in plastic can be fantastic after all!
Putting Barbie back in the box
As a doll, Ms. Barbie probably doesn't mind that her toyetic home is so exposed, but human Barbie will want to close off her home to the world.
Barbie will need building permits, which will cost at least $500 in Palm Springs, California. Let's break down the modest estimated cost of adding new walls to her Dreamhouse:
- Framing: $2,800 to $5,200
- Drywall: $600 to $1,200
These estimates are based on the cost of a 20-foot-by-20-foot room addition, so it's likely that it might cost a bit more to fully close off Barbie's Dreamhouse.
Waving through a window
To avoid losing the playset aesthetic that makes this Dreamhouse so iconic, we're adding windows—but not just any windows. We're taking a page from mid-century modern design and adding large, sleek windows that give the illusion of openness while preserving security, airiness, and light.
The perfect window styles for the mid-century modern aesthetic are casement windows, awning windows, picture windows, and sliding windows. Here's how much it would probably cost to add these windows to Barbie's Dreamhouse:
- Picture windows: $1,900 per 8-foot-by-8-foot piece
- Sliding windows: $415 to $1,270 per piece
A-door-ably pink doors
It's a bit amusing how this Dreamhouse doesn't have walls but has a large, pink front door—adorned with B-shaped handles no less. But if the door were to break down, how much would it cost to replace?
We estimate an average of $1,260, but Barbie could theoretically spend as little as $335 (a bit unlikely because it's a custom door) or as much as $5,165.
A fresh coat of pink
When Barbie needs a new coat of paint on her Dreamhouse, the average cost to paint the exterior of a three-story house like hers ranges from $8,130 to $10,840. Meanwhile, it would probably cost about $4,000 to $10,000 to paint her home's interior walls.
Of course, she would need to buy the best shades of pink for the Dreamhouse—even the white paint in the Dreamhouse is actually a very pale pink.
Rosco Fluorescent Pink was the exact color used to paint the Dreamhouses for the movie; in fact, the set designers went through so much of it that it caused a worldwide shortage.
A rosy new roof
Barbie's Dreamhouse features a flat roof, which is par for the course for mid-century modern builds. If it's leaking or otherwise not in pristine condition, Barbie would need to pay anywhere from $300 to $1,175 to get her flat roof repaired by a pro.