Barbie to donate dolls to the kids of first responders

Here's something nice for the children of first responders: Mattel, the toy company that produces Barbie, announced on Wednesday that it will be donating one doll for every eligible career doll — dolls that include outfits and accessories representative of particular jobs, like engineers or news anchors — purchased between May 14 and 17 to the First Responders Children's Foundation.

The foundation offers financial support to children who've lost a parent who was working as a first responder, as well as families facing serious financial hardship as the result of other tragic circumstances.

Barbie career dolls and playsets eligible for the promotion will be included on Barbie.com/Careers beginning Wednesday at 12 a.m. EDT, according to an email sent to Mashable from a Mattel representative. (Prices for the dolls and playsets donated range from $9.99 to $19.99.) Per the representative, in addition to Barbie.com, participating retailers also include Walmart.com, Target.com, Amazon.com, and Kohls.com. The donation will be for 30,000 products, which will make for a total donation value between $300,000 and $600,000, according to a Mattel representative.

"There's no doubt that first responders on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic are sacrificing so much to protect our families," Jillian Crane, president of the First Responders Children's Foundation, said in a press release sent to Mashable, "and it's our responsibility as a nation to help them through this crisis by providing grants, scholarships, and partnerships such as our program with Mattel that encourages consumers to support these efforts with the buy a doll, donate a doll program that benefits first responder families."

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The latest initiative is the second rollout from Mattel's #ThankYouHeroes program, which works to honor essential workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Previously, Mattel debuted a Fisher-Price line of action figures depicting nurses and delivery drivers, among others, as well as a five-character Little People "Community Champions" collection, which included a doctor and a grocery store worker, as well as other essential workers.

Net proceeds for a limited time from those lines are going to #FirstRespondersFirst, an initiative that provides first responder healthcare workers with resources including essential supplies, child care, and mental health support.

Lisa McKnight, senior vice president and global head of dolls at Mattel, said of the new Barbie #ThankYouHeroes program: "We know this generation is hyper-aware of what is happening right now as they chalk sidewalks, make signs, and lean out windows to cheer each night to thank our front-line workers. We want to do our part to give back and inspire today’s kids to take after these heroes one day."