LOOK: Barbie releases first doll with autism
Barbie has introduced a brand-new doll with autism as part of its push for inclusivity and representation.
Over the past few years, Barbie has been championing inclusivity and representation through its dolls
In recent times, Mattel, Barbie’s parent company, has released a blind Barbie and even a Type 1 diabetes Barbie.
Now the global doll maker is back with another inclusive Barbie, the first autistic Barbie.
The doll was unveiled on 11 January and developed with guidance from the autistic community to represent common ways autistic people may experience, process and communicate about the world around them.
The new Barbie was developed with non-profit disability rights organisation ASAN, which is run by and for autistic people and advocates for the rights of the autistic community.
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It took 18 months to develop the first Barbie with autism.
This doll joins the Barbie Fashionistas collection, which features the most diverse range of skin tones, hair textures, body types, and various medical conditions and disabilities.
"Barbie has always strived to reflect the world kids see and the possibilities they imagine, and we're proud to introduce our first autistic Barbie as part of that ongoing work," said Jamie Cygielman, Global Head of Dolls at Mattel.
"The doll, designed with guidance from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, helps to expand what inclusion looks like in the toy aisle and beyond because every child deserves to see themselves in Barbie."
"As proud members of the autistic community, our ASAN team was thrilled to help create the first-ever autistic Barbie doll. It is so important for young autistic people to see authentic, joyful representations of themselves, and that’s exactly what this doll is. Partnering with Barbie allowed us to share insights and guidance throughout the design process to ensure the doll fully represents and celebrates the autistic community, including the tools that help us be independent. We're honoured to see this milestone come to life, and we will keep pushing for more representation like this that supports our community in dreaming big and living proud." - Colin Killick, Executive Director, Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)
The autistic Barbie design choices
ASAN and the Barbie design team made intentional design choices to authentically reflect some experiences and traits of individuals on the autism spectrum.
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The autistic Barbie doll features and accessories
Body
The autistic Barbie doll features elbow and wrist articulation, enabling stimming, hand flapping and other hand gestures that some members of the autistic community use to process sensory information or express excitement.
Eye gaze
The doll is designed with an eye gaze shifted slightly to the side, which reflects how some members of the autistic community may avoid direct eye contact.
Accessories
Each doll comes with a pink finger clip fidget spinner, noise-cancelling headphones and a tablet.
- Fidget spinner: The doll holds a pink finger clip fidget spinner that actually spins, offering a sensory outlet that can help reduce stress and improve focus.
- Headphones: Pink noise-cancelling headphones rest on top of the doll’s head as a helpful and fashionable accessory that reduces sensory overload by blocking out background noise.
- Tablet: A pink tablet showing symbol-based Augmentative and Alternative Communication apps (AAC) on its screen serves as a tool to help with everyday communication.
Sensory-sensitive fashion
The doll wears a loose-fitting purple pinstripe A-line dress with short sleeves and a flowy skirt that provides less fabric-to-skin contact. Purple shoes complete the outfit, with flat soles to promote stability and ease of movement.
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Images: Barbie