Tina Turner Is Getting the Barbie Treatment

The Queen of Rock and Roll in Barbie form.
The Queen of Rock and Roll in Barbie form. / Mattel
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Any ’80s kid who grew up with access to MTV can no doubt recall the ensemble Tina Turner sported in the 1984 music video for “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” Her black leather miniskirt and jean jacket—accented with black tights and pearl teardrop earrings—were the height of cool, as was (and is) the diva who donned it.

Now, as the New York Daily News reports, Turner’s likeness in the iconic video is inspiration for the latest Barbie in Mattel’s Music Series line—and you better believe the doll is dressed in a diminutive carbon copy of that legendary outfit. It also flaunts an impressively detailed recreation of Turner’s signature hairstyle from the era.

“We used a lot of screen grabs [from the music video] to see the hair at all angles,” principal designer Bill Greening explained on the Mattel Creations blog. “The hair team did lots of trials to get the style and color just right. Lots of teasing and hairspray was involved!”

What *has* love got to do with it?
What *has* love got to do with it? / Mattel

Someone who was also “very involved in the design process” was the Queen of Rock and Roll ​​herself, according to Greening. They began planning the doll roughly around the time Turner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2021. It was actually her second induction: Her first, with former performance partner (and abusive ex-husband) Ike Turner, happened back in 1991.

Born Anna Mae Bullock in Brownsville, Tennessee, in 1939, Turner began pursuing music in the R&B circuit and rose to fame in the 1960s with “A Fool in Love” and other hits. Her decades-long career has given us countless pop classics, from the 1971 cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary” to 1985’s “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome),” featured in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (in which Turner also co-starred).

Take her to karaoke.
Take her to karaoke. / Mattel

Considering her legacy, it may not exactly come as a surprise that Turner’s Barbie counterpart, which retails at $55, sold out within days of its release—though you might be able to find some from sellers on Amazon if you keep an eye on the site.

[h/t New York Daily News]