Kimberly Culmone

At the heart of Kim’s creative process is the belief that design is a powerful tool for transformation and positive impact in the world. In her current role she leads design for Barbie and Fashion Dolls at Mattel Inc where she sets the creative vision for the some of the most iconic brands in the toy industry.

Kim is committed to keeping the brands she stewards relevant with kids and reflective of pop culture through product innovation. As featured in the Hulu documentary “Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie”, in 2015 she led the design of three new Barbie body types - curvy, tall and petite. This bold product reinvention generated 5 billion media impressions, led to a TIME cover, was named one of the “Top 25 Inventions of 2016” by the magazine and received the coveted “Doll of the Year Award” from the Toy Industry Association. Today Barbie is the most diverse and inclusive doll line on the market and includes dolls representing various ethnicities, body types, and physical abilities.

Kim serves on the board of directors for the Wright Institute Los Angeles - a mental health non-profit organization and clinic and Chickenshed NYC - a non-profit inclusive theatre company for children of all abilities. She is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for The Toy Association and serves on the Advisory Council for Planned Parenthood of America. Kim resides in West Hollywood, California, holds design degrees from Louisiana State University and The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles.