A Barbie doll celebrating the late R&B singer Aaliyah‘s birthday is already sold out. The limited edition doll, part of the Barbie Music Collector Series, was released at midnight on what would have been the singer’s 46th birthday, Jan. 16.
The doll was priced at $55 and was available on the Mattel website. But the doll sold out within 29 minutes, prompting anger from her fans.
One fan had the doll in her online cart, but when she went to checkout, a message popped up that it was sold out. “They need to refund! Because how did it sell out In my cart?” she wrote on X.
Resellers are already offering the Aaliyah Barbie doll online with a 50% markup.
Aaliyah’s brother Rashad Haughton worked closely with Mattel to design a doll that would showcase his sister’s tomboy style. The doll wears a miniature replica of the pleather outfit Aaliyah wore in the music video for her hit song “One in a Million.”
Rashad worked with Aaliyah’s stylist Derek Lee to complete the outfit.
“It’s still tight-fitting, it’s still a little bit sexy. But it’s pants so it brings that power and that confidence and expression. It really just checked all the boxes of what my sister represents and also what Barbie represents, which is empowerment and expression,” Rashad told TODAY.com.
The Barbie doll is the latest brand collaboration Rashad has overseen to ensure that his sister’s legacy lives on.
“It’s like that job that I had with her is still continuing. And obviously it’s emotional at times, but it’s also wonderful because there’s a lot of meaning in that,” he said. “It brings back memories and it continues on dreams that we had when she was here. In a lot of ways, it makes me feel like things are continuing on as they should, and those dreams are still valuable and they’re still real.”
Aaliyah’s disappointed fans took to social media to vent their frustration.
Aaliyah’s Barbie doll has just sold out within its first 29 mins of release…pic.twitter.com/yQy8d4FmEM
— AALIYAH LEGION (@AaliyahLegion) January 16, 2025
I hope it was real fans and not a bunch of resellers buying them up to jack up the price on eBay ?
— woman at the garden? (@jaidadoesit) January 16, 2025
And the point that pisses me off is all the captcha and questions like I paid for that membership for no reason !!!!!! They need to refund ! Because how did it sell out In my cart ?
— DICKA PEDIA (@LaurenChino) January 16, 2025
