Mattel Creations Honors a Pop Art Legend
Artist Keiichi Tanaami saw the world through the lens of what could be, fantastically blending reality and imagination in his surreal oeuvre. Tanaami’s bold, whimsical approach to art and design made him the first choice for an exciting collaboration with Mattel Creations.
The Mattel Creations x Keiichi Tanaami collection celebrates the life and career of the late pop-art legend and his artistic wonderland with a trio of reimagined Mattel classics: the iconic Barbie doll, the Magic 8-Ball, and the UNO card game. Each is uniquely transformed in Tanaami’s vivid signature style. The collection’s launch coincides with a major retrospective exhibition of his work, “Keiichi Tanaami: Adventures in Memory,” showing until Nov 11 at The National Art Center, Tokyo.
The godfather of Japan’s postwar pop-art scene, Tanaami was a prolific tour de force during his six-decade career. A multi-talented artist, illustrator, animator, and graphic designer, the Tokyo native is famous for his distinctive psychedelic style, characterized by bright colors and intricate details. In his expansive imagined world, the real becomes surreal: heads sprout spider legs and watchful eyes multiply across trippy, maximalist scenes. Familiar cultural symbols are collaged and supersaturated, while majestic animals dwarf their human counterparts in exuberant cartoon menageries.
Such figures adorn the card faces in the Mattel Creations x Keiichi Tanaami UNO game, adding a new layer of playfulness to the competitive classic. Octopi, tigers, roosters, and robots are just some of the eclectic creatures leaping from the colorful deck, surrounded by comic-book-style onomatopoeias. Tanaami’s reality-bending artwork adorns every inch of the packaging to create a multi-layered unboxing experience true to his over-the-top style.
Responding to a childhood marred by the horrors of World War II, Tanaami embraced pacifism when creating his vibrant visual paradise, using art to help process his trauma. Mattel Creations x Keiichi Tanaami is one of the multi-hyphenate’s final collaborations, completed before his passing in August of this year at the age of 88. While the art world feels the weight of this major loss, his work continues to enthrall and inspire.
Tanaami’s reimagining of everyone’s favorite fashion doll is truly in a league of its own. In the 65 years since the original Barbie launched, the pretty-in-plastic “It-girl” has served thousands of iconic looks, from cute casual wear to chic couture gowns. But nothing comes close to her latest collaboration. The visionary artist’s take on the iconic doll immediately arrests the senses—her gallery-worthy style competes for your attention from headdress to heels. While all eyes are usually on Barbie, this time, she’s got her gaze on the world via a tentacle-esque yellow headdress decorated with six curious, vinyl-lashed eyes. The golden-lashed eye at the headdress’s center symbolizes the designer’s belief that art can see all while remaining a mystery itself.
Of course, it’s no mystery that Barbie looks her most animated in an outrageous Tanaami original. Her pleated pleather dress becomes a canvas for the artist’s most memorable creations: a patterned bodice centers a coy 3D face; the tiered pink skirt wows with miniaturized appliques of his famous laughing spider; Tanaami’s signature staring fish stream down a central ribbon, while this Barbie’s giant pet goldfish swims in a trendy netted purse. Red chiffon sleeves and bright blue tights add to the high-fashion feel of the ensemble. The look is finished off with two cherry-red pumps that give a new meaning to peep-toe. If this doll had made a cameo in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie film, she would’ve been a scene stealer.
Rounding out the collection is Tanaami’s take on the Magic 8-Ball. As if divination wasn’t mystical enough, the artist’s influence elevates the prophetic problem-solver to new heights. Everyone’s favorite fortune-telling toy has been shaken up with a glossy pop-art exterior and a pink “8,” making it sure to stand out on any shelf. All-new answers such as “Perfect Peach Pink Yes,” “No Laughs the Spider,” and “Mirror of the World Murky” nod to some of Tanaami’s most recognizable imagery while maintaining the enigmatic quality of his work.
The mesmerizing Mattel Creations x Keiichi Tanaami collab is a love letter to the expressive, unapologetic spirit of his vivid artwork that’s captivated viewers for decades—just as Barbie, UNO, and the Magic 8-Ball have defined decades of childhoods. While the artist likely would have endorsed playing with the collection’s toys and games, you’ll have to resist the urge to put these masterpieces on display instead. They’re works of art, after all.
The limited-edition Mattel Creations x Keiichi Tanaami collaboration is now available exclusively at MattelCreations.com.
