DISTANT relatives of the late Mexican artist Frida Kahlo have won a temporary injunction to stop sales of a Frida Barbie doll.

Kahlo's great-niece, Mara de Anda Romeo, argues that manufacturer Mattel does not have the rights to use Kahlo's image as part of its Inspiring Women series.

According to a copy of the ruling, the toymaker and department stores in Mexico must stop selling the doll until the issue is resolved.

Pablo Sangri, a lawyer for Ms Anda Romeo, said those named in the suit can appeal against the ruling.

Mattel has said it worked with the Panama-based Frida Kahlo Corp, which it claims has rights to the artist's image.

The corporation said it got the rights through Kahlo's niece, Isolda Pinedo Kahlo, more than a decade ago.

Critics also say the doll does not reflect Kahlo's heavy, nearly conjoined eyebrows, and its costume does not accurately portray her elaborate Tehuana-style dresses.

Barbie is an American icon that has often been criticised as promoting an unrealistic body image and consumerist lifestyle. Kahlo was a lifelong communist who died in 1954, before the Barbie doll was introduced.