Barbie, the classic dress-up doll of girlhood, is going digital

You can dress her up, do her hair, put her on the campaign trail and give her a penthouse suite – and now, you can bring her to life, thanks to a new partnership between Los Angeles-based toy maker Mattel and Israeli mobile platform StartApp.

Barbie, that most iconic of dolls, will now be a part of the digital world of classic toys. It will come in the form of emojis, gifs, apps and memes that users can download to their iPhones. Some of these upgrades were created in conjunction with the latest iOS upgrade.

Choose from dozens of emojis and stickers to show your Barbie fanhood. (Photo: StartApp)

“We are exceptionally excited to join forces with Mattel to help them reimagine their iconic brands for today’s world,” said Gil Dudkiewicz, StartApp’s co-founder and a graduate of the Technion Institute of Technology in Israel. “Through this partnership, we will draw upon our extensive experience in the mobile industry to expand on Mattel’s efforts to bring their brands to a new and exponentially more connected generation.”

What's more, Barbie's not the only classic toy being digitized through the new partnership. Hot Wheels, Mattel's mega-successful toy car brand, also launched a companion app to add a little vroom.

Now you can respond in Hot Wheels style to your friends' texts. (Photo: StartApp)

Both apps are available for free download to the iPhone and iPad from the App Store.