Barbie celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with Celia Cruz, Julia Alvarez dolls

Toy giant Mattel is marking Hispanic Heritage Month with two new Barbie dolls.

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The company unveiled Barbie dolls depicting singer Celia Cruz, a salsa star known as La Guarachera de Cuba,” and Dominican American author-activist Julia Alvarez, “Good Morning America” reported.

The dolls are part of the brand’s Role Model series, Mattel said in a news release. However, the dolls are one-of-a-kind and are not for sale, Barbie said on its official Twitter account.

The Cruz doll is decked out in a red tulle gown with gold embroidery, the Miami Herald reported. The doll also sports a rhinestone necklace and earrings, a platinum wig, and is holding a microphone in her hand.

The Alvarez doll is holding a book and sports an updo, dressed in a robe-style jacket with butterflies and a black dress, according to “Good Morning America.”

“Through their legendary careers and bravery in self-expression, these women continue to inspire generations of young Latinos to proudly tell their stories,” Barbie wrote in an Instagram post.

Cruz was born Oct. 21, 1925, in Havana, and died July 16, 2003, in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

In October, a mural with her image was unveiled in a Miami neighborhood, the Herald reported. A street in the New York City borough of the Bronx was named after her in June, the newspaper reported. In July, the state of New Jersey named a highway service station in Forked River after her, according to the Herald.

“Celia is a symbol of Cuban and Latino culture. During her career, she was proudly Hispanic and was one of the greatest advocates,” Omer Pardillo, the executor of Cruz’s estate, told el Nuevo Herald. “That is why it is important that the new generations know and celebrate her legacy with pride.”

Alvarez, 71, was born in New York City. Her novels include 1991′s “How the García Girls Lost Their Accents,” 1994′s “In the Time of the Butterflies” and 1997′s “Yo!”

“Julia Alvarez is an award-winning Dominican-American writer, educator, and activist, whose vast body of work explores multicultural themes as they relate to children and adults alike,” Barbie wrote on Instagram.

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