Barbie has got a brand new bod.

Mattel, the maker of the famous plastic doll, said it will start selling Barbies in three new body types - tall, curvy and petite. She will also come in seven skin tones, 22 eye colours and 24 hairstyles.

The toy company, based in El Segundo, California, will also continue to sell the original Barbie.

For years, the doll has been criticised for being an unrealistic representation of a woman's body.

The new bodies are just the latest change for Barbie as Mattel seeks to appeal to girls who have turned to tablets and other toys.

Last year, the company let Barbie kick her heels off and wear flats for the first time.

Dolls with the new body shapes will hit US shop shelves in March and roll out in the rest of the world after that, Mattel said.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.