From 31 October to 9 November 2025, Catawiki auctions Barbie Foot, the playable football table by French visual artist
Authorised by Mattel and built with Bonzini, the French manufacturer, it is one of eight editions and the final piece offered directly by the artist
Imagined in 2009, it rewired the conversation about who gets to play and foresaw the mainstream rise of women’s football, years before Barbie’s 2023 film rekindled a wider cultural reappraisal of the icon
Amsterdam, 30 October - Women’s football is on the rise and shows no sign of slowing down: stadiums are filling up, audiences are booming, and players have become true icons of the sports world. In this context of shifting perceptions and representations, a pioneering work is making a comeback: the Barbie Foot, by French visual artist Chloé Ruchon, a visionary creation that, sixteen years ago, already imagined this reversal of codes. Well ahead of the 2023 film, the piece anticipated Barbie’s own return to the centre of pop culture, and is now going under the hammer on Catawiki, the leading online marketplace for special objects, from October 31 to November 9 2025.
Created in 2009, the Barbie Foot didn’t follow a trend; it rewired one, turning a football table into a statement about who gets to play and be seen. Once subversive and conversation-starting, it now feels remarkably timely: the worlds once coded “his” and “hers” are, in 2025, far less divided. Since the late 2000s, overall UEFA Women’s EURO attendance has risen by more than 380 percent, with 2025 setting an all time record. The sport has moved from side show to centre stage, with dedicated women’s sponsorship deals, national leagues moving from niche slots to record domestic broadcast deals in Europe.
Beyond the playing field, Barbie’s 2023 cinematic “re-read” brought the character back into serious cultural conversation—a resurgence the 2009 artwork had already hinted at. Following the film’s release, Catawiki saw a ten-week high in Barbie-related items submissions, alongside a sharp spike in searches for ‘Barbie’.
"Beyond its sports aspect, the artwork continues to surprise, provoke thought, and encourage reflection on the role of women in both sports and society. Barbie Foot remains as relevant today as it was in 2009. It serves as a catalyst for discussing gender issues in sports and society," explains Chloé Ruchon, the artist.
Authorised, engineered, playable
Now, sixteen years later, the last remaining edition–out of the eight ever produced–of this iconic work is coming up for auction exclusively on Catawiki. Created in collaboration with the French manufacturer Bonzini and with the authorization of Mattel, the Barbie Foot has become an iconic collector’s item standing at the crossroads of art, design, and sport, and it is estimated at €50,000-60,000.
The piece has been exhibited, among other cultural venues, at the Grand Palais, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, in Paris, Selfridges London, Mattel’s Showroom in Los Angeles, it soon became a cult piece of contemporary design, having gained a forecaster status as women’s football reaches new cultural heights. “This piece is cool at first glance and significant on reflection,” comments Nicolas Charara, toy expert at Catawiki. “It is an artist-led remix with real permission from Mattel–something you rarely see in the toy world–and it proves that culture and design can shift the conversation while inviting you to step up and play”.
The auction will be live from October 31 to November 9 2025 exclusively on Catawiki.
