Japan’s Barbie Licca-chan wears face mask, rides Licca Eats scooter, uses self-checkout

In the post-pandemic "new normal" of self-quarantining and social distancing, doll makers have also been stepping up to the plate to make dolls that reflect the times. Mattel's #ThankYouHeroes line features nurses, doctors, delivery drivers, and EMT. But what about the iconic Barbie doll? Mattell featured their existing line of career dolls in a campaign to help get dolls into the hands of children of first-responders.

As for reflecting the less urgent and more mundane aspects of life under the pandemic, private collectors like Tonya Ruiz (who goes by the name Grandma Gets Real on Instagram) went viral with her tongue-in-cheek "Quarantine Barbie" series, and there are countless videos on YouTube showing you how to make face masks for Barbie dolls as well artists on Etsy selling ready-made versions.

Licca-chan embraces the new normal

Meanwhile, the Licca-chan doll, Japan's answer to Barbie, is about to launch a new line of dolls and kits showing Licca adapting to the new normal, or to borrow the buzzword of the day, life ウィズコロナ "with Corona."

Let's take a look:

Shopping with Liccapay

Since we need to practice social distancing, today's Licca-chan uses Liccapay e-cash payment system and shops at a self-checkout cash register.

Liccapay shopping park

The self-checkout register is part of a larger kit which creates your very own shopping center with two floors, an escalator, shelves, a mini capsule toy machine, a bewildering number of tiny props representing food and daily necessities, as well as props and accessories like Licca-chan's smartphone.

If you pull out the separately-sold doctor Licca-chan kit, you can even equip her with a face mask:

Licca Eats scooter

If you want your food delivered at home, it's nice to know you can count on Licca Eats, and this new scooter item will help you roleplay that scenario. You can see Licca-chan is doing her part as a delivery driver, bringing orders to self-quarantining citizens. It's a working remote-controllable scooter and it comes with a toy tablet with buttons you can control it with.