Ilona Maher, the world’s most-followed rugby player on social media, has been granted her own signature Barbie doll.

Mattel, the multinational toy company that manufactures the Barbie brand, announced Monday that it would celebrate October 11’s International Day of the Girl by introducing Team Barbie — four professional women’s rugby players, including Maher, in the doll format.

Maher, 29, will have a doll in her likeness alongside England international Ellie Kildunne, New Zealand’s Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Nassira Konde of France.

Mattel said in a release the collection is to help “encourage girls to own their confidence proudly”, through rugby players who “boldly wear their confidence” and compete in a “sport often regarded as a male-dominated field.” The dolls will be available to buy in 2026.

Maher has used her social media platform to promote body positivity and increase awareness of women’s sports. “Barbies are the ultimate image of beauty and femininity. And so that’s what we grew up seeing every day,” she said to Reuters. “What I want is that when girls play with this and they see my Barbie and the broad shoulders and the big arms, that can kind of shape their views of beauty as well.”

The dolls will have a new body sculpt designed to reflect the players’ body shapes with a more athletic torso and larger, visibly defined muscles with greater definition.

In its release, Mattel said it conducted a study across the United States, United Kingdom, France and New Zealand which showed that one in three girls stop playing sports by the age of 14, “primarily due to body confidence concerns, self-doubt, and a lack of visible female role models”.

“Being part of Team Barbie is about showing girls that confidence isn’t something to shy away from, but something to own,” Maher said in the release. “I’m honored to use my platform to empower the next generation to find that spark of confidence within themselves and let it drive them toward unlocking their limitless possibilities.”

“We’re committed to breaking down the barriers — from gender stereotypes to self-doubt — that hold girls back from realizing their limitless potential,” said Krista Berger, senior vice president of Barbie, Mattel.

Maher starred as the U.S. won the bronze medal in rugby sevens at the 2024 Olympics and competed for her country at the World Cup earlier this year.

After her success at the 2024 Olympics, Maher returned to full XV rugby with English Premiership Women’s Rugby club Bristol Bears earlier this year on a three-month deal. Maher’s popularity soared after the Olympics and she finished in second place on Dancing With The Stars later that year.

In May 2024, to celebrate Barbie’s 65th anniversary, Mattel released nine Barbies in the likenesses of sports stars: Venus Williams (tennis), Christine Sinclair (soccer), Mary Fowler (soccer), Estelle Mossely (boxing), Alexa Moreno (gymnastics), Rebeca Andrade (gymnastics), Susana Rodriguez (paratriathlon), Federica Pellegrini (swimming) and Ewa Swoboda (track and field).

(Photo: Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

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