For the world’s most scrutinized body, changes for Barbie

NEW YORK – Barbie’s got a brand new bod.

Mattel, the maker of the iconic plastic doll, said it will begin selling Barbie’s in three new body types — curvy, tall, and petite. She’ll also be available in seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles.

The El Segundo, California, toy company will also continue to sell the original Barbie. The new options come after years of criticism that Barbie had created unrealistic expectations for women.

Sales of Barbie dolls have been sliding as girls turn their attention to tablets and other toys, falling 4 percent from the previous year in the most recent quarter for Mattel.

Even before Thursday, however, Barbie has been changing. Besides new skin tonesadded last year, her foot was movable for the first time, allowing her to kick her heels off and wear flats.

Dolls with the new bodies are available for preorder at shop.mattel.com, and will ship in February. They will start to show up on U.S. store shelves in March and roll in the rest of the world after that, Mattel Inc. said.