Joana Ricardina turned 107 in 2023, and her family decided to celebrate the occasion in a very special way: they organized a party entirely inspired by Barbie, one of the themes she liked most.
The celebration took place in Itiruçu, Bahia, Brazil, and Joana dressed in pink to pose inside a huge box that imitated the doll’s classic packaging. Instead of “Barbie”, the box bore her nickname, “Dinha”.
Photographs of the celebration spread widely on social media, and Joana became known as “Vovó Barbie”. The family continued the tradition the following year, when she turned 108, this time with a party inspired by Penélope Charmosa.
Joana died on April 29, 2026, at the age of 109, but the images from that birthday remained as a reminder of an unusual celebration: a 107-year-old woman who became the star of her own version of Barbie for a day.