Singer and actress Halle Bailey hit fans with some exciting news about The Little Mermaid this week.
Bailey, 22, shared a video to her Instagram on Monday, revealing a new version of the Disney Princess Ariel doll that was made to look just like her.
“Today I have something really exciting to reveal to you all,” Bailey said in the video.
“I am going to cry. This is the new Little Mermaid doll,” she said, holding up the figure. “I am literally choking up because this means so much to me, and to have one that looks like me, that is my favorite Disney character, is very surreal,” Bailey continued.
Turning the doll to the front and back, Bailey admired the special detailing of the mermaid.
“And, look — she even has my mole,” she said in amazement. “See!”
“I am just stunned,” Bailey added.
“I don’t quite know what to do with it, but I am going to steal this and take it home and hide it forever,” she concluded.
View this post on Instagram
Bailey continued expressing her admiration of the doll in the post’s caption.
“The little girl in me is pinching herself right now,” Bailey wrote.
“I have my own Little Mermaid Ariel doll !!! I can’t believe how much she captures my version of this iconic character brb gonna go cry now,” she added.
This isn’t the first time Bailey got emotional about her Ariel role. In a 2022 interview with People, the actress shared that she cried at the conclusion of filming for the movie. “I remember at the end of filming, wrap day, I was just sobbing because I truly felt like I had come out of this cocoon with Ariel,” Bailey said.
As previously reported by BLACK ENTERPRISE, Bailey has been heavily criticized by racists since she landed the role, but the award-winning artist has also been praised by her army of fans and celebrities.
The Ariel doll, which is from Mattel, will be released in stores this spring.
The Little Mermaid premieres exclusively in theaters on May 26.