Barbie Has Locs, Hulk Is Korean, and Thor is a Girl. What's Going On?

Reimagined characters reflect cultural changes in the country.

Update:

Mattel finally released the Special Edition Barbie in the likeness of acclaimed director Ava DuVernay on Monday, and it sold out in hours.

The doll was created as part of Mattel's "Sheroes" project, which honors inspirational women.

"People have really been kind talking about why they are embracing this doll, but it’s certainly not about me," DuVernay told BuzzFeed News on Monday. "It’s about the image. That’s what they’re responding to. It’s about balance. It’s about the full spectrum of who we are. It’s not enough even to have one black Barbie … because black women are not a monolith. We have all different kinds of hair, all different kinds of occupations, all different kinds of passions, so I think what folks might be responding to is the variance.”

DuVernay's doll joins the ranks of Zendaya's Barbie, released in September and Amadeus Cho, the Korean-American star of Marvel series "Totally Awesome Hulk," in diversifying toy aisles this holiday season.

Our @AVAETC #Barbie doll is here! Get yours on https://t.co/oJUDI5HvEA at 10am PST! #Shero #YouCanBeAnything pic.twitter.com/0Xp6YnTS7E

— Barbie (@Barbie) December 7, 2015

Keep reading our original article from Sept. 28, 2015 below:

A couple of weeks ago, the makers of Barbie announced they would be immortalizing singer/actor Zendaya and her Oscars-signature locs in a limited-edition doll in her likeness.

So excited to honor @Zendaya with a one-of-a-kind doll as she encourages girls to Raise Their Voices and to #BeSuper! pic.twitter.com/GEtTR9bayC

— Barbie (@Barbie) September 18, 2015

And over the weekend, Zendaya shared a couple of images of herself with the new Zendaya Barbie doll on Instagram.

"When I was little I couldn't find a Barbie that looked like me," Zendaya posted to Instagram. "Thank you @barbie for this honor and for allowing me to be apart [sic] of your diversification and expansion of the definition of beauty."

When I was little I couldn't find a Barbie that looked like me, my...how times have changed. Thank you @barbie for this honor and for allowing me to be apart of your diversification and expansion of the definition of beauty. Can't wait to keep doing amazing things with you😘😘😘 #besuper @luxurylaw @theshelbyswain

A photo posted by Zendaya (@zendaya) on Sep 26, 2015 at 3:05pm PDT

The @zendaya one-of-kind #Barbie! It was so much fun recreating this iconic look she wore at the Oscars, from the #fauxlocs originally done by @theshelbyswain to the @viviennewestwoodofficial gown! Mad love to the amazingly talented team at Mattel that I work with; sculptors, face painters, hair designers, patternmakers, seamstresses and more! 💖💞💕💗 Zendaya did say the Barbie's eyebrows were #onfleek. 😉 #eyebrowsonfleek

A photo posted by carlyle nuera (@carlylenuera) on Sep 26, 2015 at 8:22pm PDT

Amadeus Cho becomes the Totally Awesome #Hulk, and writer @GregPakPix has the latest! Read about it on Marvel.com.

A photo posted by Marvel Entertainment (@marvel) on Sep 17, 2015 at 1:31pm PDT

The Zendaya Barbie doll comes as we see something of a diversification of American toy and comic culture. There's Amadeus Cho, the Korean-American boy genius who stars in Totally Awesome Hulk, a new Marvel series coming this winter. And there's Jane Foster, the new female Thor, who was announced this past May. As toymakers and comic writers realize the growing demand for different perspectives in the toy and comic book aisles, maybe we'll be seeing more cool characters like these.

This week, #Thor's identity has finally been revealed in the comics series! Make sure to check your local comic shop for the latest issue - you won't want to miss it.

A photo posted by Marvel Entertainment (@marvel) on May 13, 2015 at 10:35am PDT