Teresa is a Mattel fashion doll marketed as one of Barbie's fictional friends. The first Teresa doll debuted as the 'California Dream Teresa' doll in 1988 and, since then, has been a recurring character in the Barbie toy line.
Teresa was introduced as part of the California Dream line of dolls in 1988. In 1999, it was established that her last name was Rivera in the chapter book "High Sea Adventure", confirming her identity as the first Latina Barbie doll. On the back of the 1999 Beyond Pink Teresa box, her birthday is listed as October 2.
Teresa has been seen in various Barbie-related media such as books, magazines, video games and movies such as Barbie & the Diamond Castle, Barbie and the Three Musketeers, ' and '. She is one of the main characters in '.
In Barbie Software games, she is voiced by Grey DeLisle.
In Barbie Dream Besties "Level Up" Ft. Teresa (Official Music Video), it is revealed Teresa's family comes from Zacatecas, Mexico
According to Barbie, Teresa is a brilliant cook and one of her favorite activities is to bake muffins. According to Teresa's B Friends profile, she has made 3,120 cupcakes to date; she has also rescued 36 stray animals.
Teresa is also said to like spending her free time reading gossip magazines about celebrities and shopping at flea markets. Teresa states that her likes are "baking cupcakes, good karma, vintage clothing stores, tall waves at the beach, tall boys at the beach!"
Teresa lives in Malibu, California, in "Casa de Teresa" in the fictional Barbie World. She is neighbor of both Barbie and Ryan, as "Casa de Teresa" is located at the left side of the Barbie Dreamhouse and the right side of The Ryan Mansion.