Barbie Celebrates International Women's Day with 'Dream Team' Doll Collection, Including Astronaut Kellie Gerardi (Exclusive)

Catherine SantinoThu, March 5, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC

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Kellie Gerardi and her BarbieCredit: Mattel Inc. -

Barbie is celebrating International Women's Day with a Dream Team collection based on real-life women, including research astronaut Kellie Gerardi

Gerardi tells PEOPLE that collaborating on her very own doll was "such a full-circle moment"

"My goal was really about helping open the door to space for the next generation of scientists," she says

Barbie is celebrating International Women’s Day with a very special collection of dolls honoring real-life women.

On March 5, Barbie revealed a Dream Team of women who led the way in their respective industries, including tennis legend Serena Williams, soccer star Chloe Kelly and research astronaut Kellie Geraldi.

Geraldi, who will soon be welcoming her second daughter, tells PEOPLE that she was in "tears" when she found out she was getting her very own Barbie doll.

"It's something that just feels like such a full-circle moment," she tells PEOPLE. "I grew up playing with Barbie dolls. I'm a mom of an 8-year-old daughter, plus one who will be here in a few weeks, and that's a huge part of our imaginative play."

"For the last couple of years, a common trope online from my community of supporters has been, 'Oh my gosh, you're like real-life space Barbie or real-life astronaut Barbie,'" she adds.

Mattel nailed every single detail when it came to recreating Gerardi's signature look. She says that "one of the most amazing parts" of this experience has been "getting to see their process and the artistry of what it takes to actually bring a doll to life."

Gerardi calls the doll a "one-to-one exact replica," calling out the matching patches on their flight jackets to the star necklace she wears.

Kellie Gerardi and her BarbieCredit: Mattel Inc.

"It was truly amazing to get to collaborate with them on that level about some of these details," she says. "Even though I thought I knew exactly what to expect, I was still blown away when I actually saw her for the first time."

Gerardi, who became the 90th woman to fly in space during Virgin Galactic's Galactic 05 mission in November 2023, will embark on her second mission in 2026. Raised in Jupiter, Fla. (which she jokes is "very on brand"), near the Space Coast, Gerardi says that space was the "backdrop of my adolescence."

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"My goal was really about helping open the door to space for the next generation of scientists so that we could use space as a laboratory to benefit humanity," she explains. "So, to be able to walk or float through that door myself in my career as a payload specialist and a research astronaut is amazing."

Kellie Gerardi's BarbieCredit: Mattel Inc.

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She adds, "My goal continues to be to hold it open wider for the next generation, which is why it felt like such a beautiful and humbling invitation to get to be invited to join the inaugural Barbie Dream Team and celebrate International Women's Day with Mattel."

For the scientist, though, serving as a role model for her daughter is especially meaningful.

"The honor is immense," she says. "I think a lot about the fact that gender schemas are formed so early in life and they're so rigid. Even right now, if you asked me to close my eyes and picture someone doing science in space, even though I've been there, worked for that, have the doll to show for it, I still don't picture someone who looks like me. But my daughter is growing up, and if you ask her, 'Draw an astronaut,' she's drawing herself or a little girl."

She notes that "Barbie has always been ahead of her time" and was an astronaut before women were eligible for space flight. Gerardi's own mom and daughter being able to watch her 2023 space flight represents the progress women have made in the field.

Barbie Dream Team dollsCredit: Mattel Inc.

"When [my mom] was growing up, that just was not an option for women. But one single generation later, she got to watch her daughter reach the stars, she gets to watch her granddaughter take it completely for granted, which is wonderful in its own way."

"To me, that symbolizes the crux of what I value most about this partnership," she continues. "That optimism for the future and the honoring of what it took to open these new paths, and the celebration of those who are boldly pursuing them and trying to hold them open a little wider."

The full Dream Team of dolls includes Gerardi, Williams, Kelly, racecar driver Regina Sirvent Alvarado, adventurer Zoja Skubis, cricketer Smriti Mandhana, surfer Stephanie Gilmore and singer Helene Fischer.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”