Nikki (Barbie)
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Nicole "Nikki" Watkins is a
Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...
fashion doll, debuting in 1996 as part of the "Teen Skipper" line. Nikki was released as Skipper's first African American friend and as the younger sister of Christie, one of
Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...
's best friends. In 2006, Nikki replaced Christie as one of Barbie's best friends in the Glam Beach Line and later in the Fashion Fever Line.


Appearances

Nikki has been featured in several Barbie doll series: *In the trade paperbacks, Nikki is featured in various books such as ''A Surprise for a Friend''. *Nikki was also a regular in the web series '' Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse'' and a main character in the Netflix series, '' Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures'', the first time her last name was confirmed to be "Watkins". *Nikki appears in many Barbie movies, with her first appearance in the 2008 movie, '' Barbie in a Christmas Carol''. Nikki plays the roles of Catherine and herself in the movie. She has since starred in '' Barbie and the Three Musketeers (playing the character of Renée'', '' Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale'', and '' Barbie in A Mermaid Tale (playing the character of Fallon)''. In October 2020, a Barbie Vlog titled ''Barbie and Nikki Discuss Racism'' went viral. At the beginning of the video, Barbie states "it's important to have ongoing conversations about standing up to racism." The video was widely praised for bringing attention to a serious societal problem.


Personality traits

In '' Barbie in a Christmas Carol'', Nikki makes a brief appearance. In this film, she is portrayed as charitable and caring, with a love for dancing and spending time with her friends. Nikki enjoys being around Barbie and her sister Kelly. In the '' Life in the Dreamhouse'' web series, Nikki is portrayed as a fashionable and confident DJ and
fashion model A model is a person with a role either to display commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as an artist's model. Modelling ("modeling" in American English) entails using one's body to represent someone ...
with a sassy, fun-loving attitude. She has a keen sense of style and a bold personality, often using her sharp wit to stand out in conversations. Despite her confident exterior, Nikki is also deeply loyal and protective of her friends, always ready to stand up for them when needed. Her mix of charm, humor, and fierce loyalty makes her a key figure in the group. In '' Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures'', Barbie: Princess Adventure, '' Barbie: Big City Big Dreams'', '' Barbie: It Takes Two'', and '' Barbie: A Touch of Magic'', Nikki is a friendly and creative teenage
fashion designer Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applied arts, applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has va ...
who attends Golden Beach High School. She’s known for her entrepreneurial drive, having started two successful businesses: a mobile
bistro A bistro or bistrot (), in its original Parisian form, is a small restaurant serving moderately priced, simple meals in a modest setting. In more recent years, the term has become used by restaurants considered, by some, to be pretentious. Style ...
scooter called "Go Bistro," and a dog-walking service called "Watkins' Woofs and Walks," showcasing her love for animals.


Fashion

Historically, Nikki dolls often shared outfits with Barbie in various lineups, while
Teresa Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; ) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Classical Greek, Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or rea ...
would receive new clothing. Nikki typically wore distinctive outfits only when the doll was modeled after a version of her from a specific media appearance, such as a show or movie. Starting in 2016, Mattel significantly reduced the production of Nikki dolls as part of "The Doll Evolves" campaign, which emphasized a diverse range of nameless Barbie dolls. Despite this, Nikki continues to have dolls released that are associated with visual media. Nikki's signiture hairstyle post-2017 is two buns or afro-puffs.


Headmolds

*When Nikki debuted in 2005, she was given her own headmold. *Nikki Chat Divas used a headsculpt with mouth mechanism, the "Barbie 2006 Headmold." *Later, Nikki used a headsculpt that was similar to that of Christie, with the "Asha Headmold." *In Top Model Series, Nikki used the "Model Of The Moment Nichelle Headmold". *In some prototypes, Nikki used the "Asha Headmold" or "Teresa 2006 Headmold". *In 2010, Nikki used the "Desiree Headmold". *Barbie Holiday 201 is the only Holiday collection in which the characters have names, and Nikki is the afro girl at that moment. This makes her use the "Madam La Vinia facemold". *In 2019, the "Barbie Dreamhouse adventures Nikki Travel Doll" used a new headmold very similar to the Mbili/Grace headmold but with teeth.


Trivia

*Rapper Onika Maraj gave herself the stage name "
Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...
" after Barbie's best friend Nikki, and declared that she was the "Black Barbie" as a reference to the Barbie Doll friend she aspired to be as a child.


Residence

Nikki lives in Malibu, California, in the 2018 Netflix series, '' Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures''. In the '' Life in the Dreamhouse'' web series, she lives in a mansion called "The House of Nikki."


Notes and references

{{Barbie 1990s toys Products introduced in 1996 Fictional African-American people 2000s toys Barbie characters Fictional characters introduced in 1996 African-American characters in television African-American characters in films African-American characters in literature