Grace Mulgrew You Can Be Anything Interview

Grace Mulgrew You Can Be Anything Interview

From Mermaid to Movie Star, Pet Vet to Police Officer, Barbie has always encouraged children to dream big with her countless (180 and growing) career choices.

The new local platform from Barbie, You Can Be Anything, aims to bring to life this philosophy through three incredible Aussie kids who challenge stereotypes and push the boundaries, redefining what it means to be a young person in the world.

The campaign sets out to prove that you don't need to be a -grown up' to achieve your dreams with all three ambassadors featuring in short films about their extraordinary lives.

Quincy, AKA -The Flying Squirrel', is an 8-year-old fearless surfing champion who rides waves twice her size. Humanitarian and 8-year-old schoolboy, Cael Fay single-handedly raised over $10,000 for charity by the time he was eight. And 10- year-old YouTube star Grace Mulgrew, has an awe-inspiring 54 million plus views on one of her videos series with Barbie.

Marketing Director at Mattel, Chedney Rogers, says 'When Ruth Handler created the Barbie doll in 1945 she said -My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices'. That ideology is more relevant now than ever, and we want Barbie to continue to be a vehicle for creativity, imagination, and greatness, for all kids."

'Our new platform celebrates our history, heroing three remarkable kids who embody this philosophy and prove kids can be anything they want to be, without having to wait until they're grown ups." she continued.

This campaign follows the successful release of a new range of Barbie Dolls with different body shapes, skin tones, hairstyles and eye colours earlier this year and brings a local flavour to the role Barbie plays for girls across Australia in bringing their unique stories to life and sparking their imaginations.

Child psychologist, director at Sydney Child Psychology and mother of three, Dr. Fiona Martin says, 'Play is essential for a child's development and growth, in particular, imaginative play is how a child develops social and emotional skills. Playing allows a child to explore the world, practice adult roles, and gain confidence to believe they can be anything."

'Playing with modern and progressive toys, like Barbie, allows a child to take on different roles and facilitates the type of imaginative play that is so important in a child's growth," she continued.

The three inspiring videos starring Quincy, Cael and Grace can be viewed here.

To celebrate the campaign, Barbie is running a competition for one lucky kid to win a personalised $10,000 experience to help them with their dream.

Interview with Grace Mulgrew

Grace is a 10-year old YouTube phenomenon who has 500,000 subscribers and 54 million views on one of her videos series with Barbie.


Question: Why did you join the -You Can Be Anything' campaign?

Grace Mulgrew: I said yes to the You Can Be Anything campaign to show everyone that just because I'm a kid it doesn't mean I can't follow my dreams. I want other kids to know we can do anything we want - without having to wait to be a grown up!


Question: What does it mean to you to be an ambassador for Barbie, the You Can Be Anything campaign and competition?

Grace Mulgrew: It's a dream come true! I love Barbie and I'm very proud to be an ambassador because it means I can be a role model for other kids my age.


Question: What message do you hope to spread or Barbie, the You Can Be Anything campaign?

Grace Mulgrew: I hope that my videos and my role with Barbie can help show other kids that they can follow their dreams too. We want kids to have lots of confidence to dream big and I hope they all enter the competition to win $10,000 for their dreams.


Question: Can you tell us about filming and editing the videos series with Barbie?

Grace Mulgrew: One day I asked my dad to help me film myself playing with my Barbie dolls and now he helps me to do this using a green screen. We edit them together and then he helps me upload the video to YouTube.


Question: Why do you love Barbie?

Grace Mulgrew: I love Barbie because she has so many different characters and she can be anything, from a doctor to an astronaut or even a princess. I love that there are so many different adventures I can make up with Barbie.

Question: How have you shown Australians that kids can be anything they want to be – without having to wait until they're 'grown up"?

Grace Mulgrew: I think by doing something that isn't expected of someone my age. I think other kids would see my videos and think that if I can do it, then they can too.


Question: What inspired you to begin using social media?

Grace Mulgrew: I loved watching YouTube videos and I also love playing with dolls, so I decided to combine these two interests and make my own video. It became really popular and inspired me to make more!


Question: How does your family help with your social media accounts?

Grace Mulgrew: My dad helps me to film and upload the videos, and my mum and brother help me to brainstorm my story ideas. It's lots of fun!


Question: What's a typical day like, for you?

Grace Mulgrew: When school and my after-school activities are over for the day, I like to either work on my story for the next video, film the dolls in front of the green screen or help my Dad edit the video. If I'm not doing one of these, I'm practicing my gymnastics, playing with dolls or chatting with my friends.


Question: What's next, for you?
Grace Mulgrew: I want to continue making my videos about Barbie for YouTube and hopefully get one million subscribers!


Interview by Brooke Hunter