Angel Reese Denied ‘Bayou Barbie’ Trademark Due To Mattel Conflict

Angel Reese's attempt to trademark "Bayou Barbie" has been denied by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Angel Reese’s attempt to trademark “Bayou Barbie” has been denied by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied the LSU star’s filing in November, and Reese reportedly missed the 90-day deadline to submit documents supporting her trademark request, On3 reports. As a result, the case has been deemed “dead,” and Reese won’t be able to sell any merchandise with her “Bayou Barbie” moniker.

The office cited the conflict of interest between “Bayou Barbie” and the toy company Mattel, which owns the Barbie trademark.

“We discussed internally and determined that it was in Angel’s best interest to not unnecessarily instigate Mattel,” IP and NIL attorney Darren Heitner said.

Heitner filed the trademark request on Reese’s behalf. Still, after it was denied, he says Reese “has pivoted away from selling Bayou Barbie merchandise” and decided to “let the application abandon.”

Reese took on the “Bayou Barbie” nickname after transferring to LSU and becoming a star player. With her style of play and love for the color pink, the tag name only made sense.

“She loves the color pink,” Reese’s agent Jeanine Ogbonnaya shared. “She’s always getting her hair and nails done for games. So that definitely plays a big part into it.”

If Reese had been granted the trademark, NCAA protocols would allow the 2023 championship winner to monetize the name. She rose to stardom after the LSU Tigers beat the Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA women’s championship game.

Reese received the Most Outstanding Player award and set the NCAA single-season record with 34 double-doubles. Since then, she has acquired a new level of superstardom for college athletes with appearances in the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue and Latto and Cardi B’s “Put It on the Floor” music video.

She is ranked No. 7 on the prestigious NIL 100 list, which ranks the 100 most highly valued student-athletes. With a NIL valuation of $1.7 million and other deals, Reese has an estimated net worth of $3 million.

Considering her millions in NIL deals, Reese can make money using her name rather than a “Bayou Barbie” moniker.