Gloom in Barbieland as Trump tariffs drive up costs

Surrounded by hundreds of Barbies at her home in the northern Spanish port of Gijon, TikTok influencer and collector Noemi de Lama has shared the news with her followers that U.S. tariffs are likely to drive up the price of their favourite dolls.

De Lama, who goes by the name of Mistik, believes she and other collectors will carry on buying.

She estimates, however, the knock-on impact of Donald Trump's tariffs will be to increase prices of the Mattel Inc dolls by around a fifth or more as many are manufactured in China.

"Every time someone wants to bring something (from) outside the United States to his country, Trump is going to overcharge," she said in an online post.

If it is any consolation, the rise is part of more generalised inflation.

"Let's not forget that (prices) are rising not only on luxury items or whims, such as collecting. The rest of the things go up also," she said.

The Barbie gloom extends to the southeastern town of San Vicente del Raspeig, on the other side of Spain, where toy store owner Gloria Diez is also alarmed, fearing price rises will be passed on from manufacturers to distributors and buyers.

"The end-customer is the one who ends up paying for that increased amount," Diez said.

"As a merchant and collector, in the end, any instability in the market, whether it's a war, tariffs, or containers from China suddenly being stuck at the canal, it is always something that will affect our trade," she said.

Mattel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.