Barbie honors Native doctor Susan La Flesche Picotte with $38 doll

Mattel’s new Inspiring Women Barbie honors Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte of the Omaha Tribe, who graduated first in her medical school class in 1889. Her outfit is inspired by her 7-and-a-half-foot bronze statue in Lincoln, Neb.

Barbie’s newest history lesson comes with a doctor’s bag.

Mattel added Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte to its Barbie Inspiring Women series this week. Picotte was a member of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and is often called the first Native American woman doctor in the U.S. The doll sells for $38.

Mattel’s product page says the outfit was inspired by Picotte’s bronze sculpture in Nebraska. That 7-foot-6-inch statue, by sculptor Benjamin Victor, stands on Lincoln’s Centennial Mall. The doll wears a black and white dress and an Omaha Nation shawl.

“Dr. Susan LaFlesche Picotte dedicated her life to caring for her people,” Elizabeth Lovejoy Brown told KETV.

Brown is an Omaha tribal member and executive director of the Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte Center in Walthill, Neb. She said she hopes Picotte keeps inspiring Native children for generations.

How much is the Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte Barbie?

$38 from Mattel. Here’s what we found Tuesday, Nov. 10:

• Mattel Creations: $38, listed as available

• Mattel Shop: $38, listed as unavailable when we checked

• Target: $37.99, Cultura Colectiva reported

• Preorders: BigBadToyStore at $42.99 and Deep Discount at $45.07, Cultura Colectiva reported

The product code is JBJ30, which helps when you search store sites. It’s a Black Label collector doll on Barbie’s original articulated body, with a stand and a certificate of authenticity. Mattel credits Carlyle Nuera as the doll designer.

Fair warning for gift shoppers: Mattel notes the doll can’t stand on her own. The stand is in the box.

Who was Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte?

Picotte was born June 17, 1865, on the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska, the National Park Service says. She finished at the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania first in her class, graduating a year early, in 1889.

She went home and became the only doctor for more than 1,200 people, across a service area of more than 400 miles, per the NPS. She also pushed for Native land rights and public health.

In 1913, she opened a hospital in Walthill. The NPS calls it the first hospital on a reservation built without government money. She died in Walthill on Sept. 18, 1915.

Her restored hospital building reopened in 2025 as a center for health, education, youth programs and culture, KETV reported.

Mattel’s description goes further and calls her “the first Indigenous person to earn a medical degree.” KETV described her as one of the earliest Native American women to earn a U.S. medical degree.

Where can you see the Picotte Barbie in person?

At the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. The doll will be featured at an event honoring Picotte at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, KETV reported.

Mattel unveiled the doll Nov. 9 at Umonhon Nation Public School in Macy, Neb., Cultura Colectiva reported.

Her statue in Lincoln is free to visit. It was unveiled Oct. 11, 2021, at Nebraska’s first official Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln reported.

Which other Native women has Barbie honored?

Picotte joins a short list in the Inspiring Women line:

• Wilma Mankiller, the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, in late 2023

• Maria Tallchief, the Osage Nation prima ballerina, in November 2024. Her doll wears the costume from her 1949 New York City Ballet debut in “The Firebird,” KJRH reported.

That’s three falls in a row with a Native honoree, lining up with Native American Heritage Month in November.

For a family road trip, the doll and the statue make a pretty good pair. Lincoln’s Centennial Mall is a short walk from the Nebraska State Capitol.

Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.

Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

Hat Tips:

• KETV (Nov. 9, 2026), Elizabeth Lovejoy Brown’s quotes, the Picotte Center reopening and the Joslyn event

• Mattel (Nov. 9, 2026), product details, price, outfit inspiration and designer credit

• Cultura Colectiva (Nov. 10, 2026), retailer prices and the Macy unveiling

• National Park Service (undated), Picotte’s biography

• City of Lincoln (June 8, 2021), the Benjamin Victor statue and its Centennial Mall site

• University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Oct. 2021), the statue unveiling

• KJRH (Nov. 14, 2024), the Maria Tallchief doll and the Wilma Mankiller doll

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