About 2 million American girls were born in 2002. That means they’re turning 15 this year. And many are celebrating with a quinceañera. It’s the rite of passage party usually celebrated by Hispanic girls. It’s similar to a “Sweet 16,� but celebrations are often much more extravagant.
In fact, the quinceañera industry in the U.S. is a billion-dollar business. And now, toymaker Mattel is trying to get a piece of the action.
Betzayda Esquivel just turned 15. She’s planning her quinceañera and says that whether you only spend a couple thousand dollars on your party or $20,000 or $30,000 like most families do, almost all parties have a few key elements:
“Dress � big, sparkly, like a princess � shoes, doll,� Esquivel says.
The doll is very important. Traditionally, during the father/daughter dance, the dad will present his birthday girl with her “last doll� or ultima muñeca.
Mattel, the toy manufacturer, wants that doll to be a Barbie.
In a promotional video, Mattel Designer Carlyle Nuera describes the dress on Mattel’s latest release, Quinceañera Barbie.
“Her bodice has a sheer overlay with a beautiful silver holographic glitter print. Her skirt also features purple taffeta,� Nuera says in the video.
Quinceañera Barbie actually looks a lot like Betzayda Esquivel. But that purple dress is bothering Yesenia Esquivel, Betzayda’s mother, because her daughter’s theme color is coral.
“They need to put up a website: ‘Personalize your Quinceañera Barbie. ’The girls would go wild. If they can choose the skin and hair color and the color of the dress,� Yesenia Esquivel says in Spanish.
“Mattel and a lot of other places are just sort of scratching the surface on it,� says Aliya Ghows with Latin Works, an Austin advertising agency. But, she says, some companies are evolving and becoming more culturally sensitive.
“In the past, there were a lot of sort of stereotypical Hispanic ads. These days, consumers will call that out immediately,� Ghows says.
There are multiple examples of the quinceañera tradition becoming more mainstream. There’s featuring a quinceañera in one of its ads. And is marketing its princess-themed cruises to those celebrating a quinceañera.
But whether quinceañeras are taking place in the home or on the high seas, you can bet that there will probably be a “last doll� or ultima muñeca. Whether that doll is a Barbie may just depend on theme colors.