An Arizona same-sex couple is teaming with Mattel after the two inspired the company with their own Barbie wedding set with two Ken dolls.
According to 12 News, Matt Jacobi and Nick Caprio met over a decade ago in an Irish pub in Chicago. In 2015, the two moved from Los Angeles to Scottsdale to be closer to family, and now, next year the same-sex couple will become the first to get married at The Scottsdale Resort.
But, as it turns out, the wedding isn’t the only thing the couple has to look forward to in the new year. In fact, according to the publication, the couple has been tapped to fly out to Los Angeles to create a same-sex couple marriage doll set, inspired by their own version.
It all started when the couple took to Walmart and Target to find a Barbie wedding set for their 8-year-old niece’s birthday after the two had asked her to be a flower girl in their wedding. “We found this awesome wedding set from Mattel and it was almost perfect,” Jacobi said, referencing the heterosexual relationship between Barbie and Ken.
“So we bought another Ken, who was in a tux, and took out Barbie and added another Ken in, tied it together and gave Natalie the gift and her reaction was priceless,” he added.
The two then posted the picture of their new and improved set, with a message to Mattel that read, “I hope this inspires you.” Days later, Mattel reached out with their offer.
“For them to reach out and take social media shows the power of your voice on social media,” Caprio said. “It was great to be able to contact them and we’re really excited to see where this is going and work with them.”
“We just want every family to be reflected within toys,” Caprio said. “They’re a big part of our culture and it’s something that if kids are always exposed to this and they can see their own family, it gets rid of the question of what is this and this explanation and long story you have to go through, because it’s something that will just be what it is and it’s just people that are in love.”
“Our intent and our goal is to just spread some goodness into the world,” Jacobi added. “We hope that other companies follow suit and continue to think not just of the social norm but of every family.”
