Kristi Yamaguchi Gets Inspiring Woman Barbie for AAPI Heritage Month (Exclusive)

Kristi Yamaguchi’s new Barbie is accurate down to the last detail.

The gold medal-winning Olympian tells PEOPLE that the doll even includes her 1992 glam.

“[There are] so many of the small things that really make it Kristi from 1992,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively of the new doll, created by Mattel. “The big hair with the gold bow in it!”

Yamaguchi’s Barbie wears a figure skating dress reminiscent of the one she wore when she won her gold medal at the ‘92 Olympic Games in Albertville, France. She even holds a large bouquet, just like she did after she skated more than 30 years ago. 

The athlete and philanthropist says it was a “pinch-me moment” seeing the Barbie for the first time and finding out she was getting a place in the Inspiring Women lineup, alongside women like Anna May Wong, Maya Angelou and Jane Goodall. Yamaguchi says she considers all of these women to be her own role models.

Though Yamaguchi began skating as a young girl and started competing seriously as a teen, she says she still made time for her Barbies. In fact, her Barbie styling head served her well later in life.

“I actually became the in-house hairstylist when we toured with Stars on Ice for many, many years,” she says with a laugh of touring with other skaters after her retirement. “I did a lot of the skaters’ hair for the show!”

Her daughters, Keara, 20, and Emma, 20, whom she shares with husband Bret Hedican, were also Barbie fans growing up and “totally thought it was so cool” that she’s immortalized forever as a doll. Yamaguchi admits, though, that her kids were still a bit jaded by it all because she’s “just mom.”

Yamaguchi’s doll, available as of April 24, is also a celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, honoring Yamaguchi’s history-making turn as the first Asian American woman to win the gold medal in figure skating at the Olympics.

“I think for AAPI Month, it’s all about shining the spotlight on the Asian-American culture and celebrating it, and celebrating the stories and the triumphs and some of the hardships too,” she tells PEOPLE. “But I think that it’s meaningful to the community to have positive stories out there and symbols to inspire the next generation — or even [to encourage] the current generation to persevere and to go after their dreams and know that it’s possible. If it’s happened before, it can happen again. Even if it hasn’t happened yet, they can blaze their own trail. It’s a huge honor and it’s a lot of pride being able to have it showcased during AAPI Month.”

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In honor of Yamaguchi’s new doll and in support of AAPI Heritage Month, Barbie will split a $25,000 Barbie Dream Gap donation between Yamaguchi’s Always Dream and ASPIRE (Asian Sisters Participating in Reaching Excellence). The donation aims to support and empower Asian American women and girls while building a community that fosters education and mentorship. 

Yamaguchi’s doll and the other dolls in the Inspiring Women Series are available now.