Red Roses partner with Barbie before World Cup

2025 Women's Rugby World Cup

Venue: England Date: 22 August - 27 September

Coverage: Every match involving England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland live on BBC One or BBC Two, while every game will be live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, with coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live and Sports Extra

England women's rugby union side will become the first UK sports team to partner with Barbie - but the deal has been launched without any of the brand's famous dolls.

Athlete Dina Asher-Smith and boxer Nicola Adams have previously been immortalised in plastic, but the Red Roses' range is initially restricted to t-shirts, hoodies and replica balls.

"The collaboration aims to inspire the next generation of female rugby players through grassroots initiatives, funding, merchandise and powerful storytelling," said the Rugby Football Union.

Toy maker Mattel, the company behind Barbie, will make a £20,000 donation to the RFU as part of the deal to increase girls' access to clubs and coaching in England.

Mattel has recreated a host of sporting figures as Barbie dolls, including American Olympic champion gymnast Gabby Douglas, fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, snowboarder Chloe Kim and golfer Lorena Ochoa.

London 2012 Olympic champion Adams, world champion sprinter Asher-Smith and skateboarder Sky Brown are among the Britons who have also been commemorated.

The partnership could yet expand, with England hot favourites for the Rugby World Cup on home soil. Their campaign begins on Friday, 22 August against the United States in Sunderland.

Barbie has previously been criticised for promoting unrealistic body types.

In her 2000 book Body Wars, psychologist Margo Maine wrote that, external if Barbie were scaled up to adult height, she would have a figure within the guidelines for diagnosing anorexia.

The brand introduced different body, hair and skin types to its range in 2016 and the 2023 movie Barbie, licensed by Mattel, confronted the gender norms and body image the doll had previously been associated with.

When her doll was released in 2020, Asher-Smith was pleased it accurately depicted her body.

"Most importantly for me there was the muscle tone, because I think it is really, really important the young girls see all aspects of femininity," she said.

Barbie is also supporting the RFU's Girls' Activity Days scheme which aims to introduce girls to rugby. More than 400 clubs are hosting one of the events this summer.

"We know how important the visibility of rugby is in attracting girls and boys to our sport and it's been a core part of our strategy for the women's and girls' game for many years," said Alex Teasdale, RFU executive director of the women's game.

"We wanted to collaborate with Barbie to introduce the game to new audiences and champion female voices in the sport."