Quarantine Barbies Are Now a Thing

The past year has completely shifted many people's everyday lives, as the COVID-19 pandemic has [...]

By Jenna Anderson

The past year has completely shifted many people's everyday lives, as the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to change or do away with a lot of day-to-day conventions. A lot of people might not have expected to spend parts of this year quarantining, and it looks like a series of fan-made Barbies are here to commiserate along with you. Tonya Ruiz, a grandma and social media influencer, recently went viral for her series of "Quarantine Barbies", which showcase the more relatable and less-idealized elements of life over the past year. These dolls range from Barbies trying to bake bread or raise their kids in Quarantine, and even an essential worker Barbie.

"I started my 'Grandma Gets Real' Instagram three years ago as a project with my granddaughters and we started posting pictures of what Barbie would be like in real life," Ruiz explained in an interview with ABC 7 NY. "I decided to actually make quarantine Barbies that reflected what I was doing during the quarantine."

"I tried to reflect what was going on at my house, or my children's houses, or my friend's houses in the Barbies," Ruiz continued.

Unfortunately, the quarantine Barbies made by Ruiz are not for sale, but she apparently has received an outpouring of love from fans, and even a positive response from Mattel, the company that makes Barbie.

"So many people have written, 'Finally a Barbie that I can relate to,'" Ruiz explained. "People love to be able to be represented and they love that my Barbies are realistic; doing gardening or realistic things that they can relate to [like] new hobbies or things like that."

"The fact that I was able to make millions of people all over the world smile, it blows my mind, but I think what a great honor that during a real hard year I came up with something that made people smile," Ruiz added.

What do you think of these quarantine-themed Barbie dolls? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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