US EditionMattel Launches First Autistic Barbie Doll
Mattel developed the autistic Barbie with Autistic Self Advocacy Network input, donating 1,000+ dolls to pediatric hospitals to support representation and sensory needs.
- On Monday, Mattel unveiled its first Barbie designed to represent autism, launching on Mattel Shop and major stores including Target for about $11.87.
- Mattel spent more than 18 months working with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network , developing a doll designed to reflect some ways autistic individuals experience and navigate the world.
- The doll features articulated elbows and wrists to allow stimming-like gestures, a slightly averted eye gaze, and sensory-conscious accessories including a pink fidget spinner, noise-cancelling headphones, and a tablet with symbol-based AAC apps.
- Supporters praised the new Barbie, though some in the autistic community said representation is more complicated; Mattel will donate more than 1,000 dolls to pediatric hospitals in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.
- Part of the Barbie Fashionistas line, the new doll joins more than 175 looks and Mattel plans a wider release later this year at retailers including Walmart, noting it can't represent every autistic child.
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The doll is equipped with, among other things, an anti-noise helmet and additional joints to allow repetitive movements. While some welcome a step towards inclusiveness, French associations regret a stereotypical representation.
Making Sense of ‘Autistic Barbie’ – The American Spectator | USA News and Politics
Mattel introduces, 67 years after the original article, Autistic Barbie. “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,” Mattel announced. The dolls, dressed in loose-fitting, purple clothes to reflect the autistic community’s alleged comfort-over-aesthetic sensibilities…
'Too far!' Fiery row erupts over autistic Barbie as Mattel accused of bowing to 'left wing identity politics'
A fiery row has erupted on GB News after toy company Mattel was accused of bowing to "left-wing identity politics" by creating an autistic Barbie.The creation of the "virtue-signalling" doll was said to have gone "too far" with its latest addition to its array of more inclusive toys. Sporting pink headphones and a fidget spinner, the £13.99 Barbie was designed by people with autism in a bid to make youngsters feel more included.Commentator Paula…
With the launch of an autistic Barbie, Mattel continues its strategy of inclusion. But this new doll wants to be more than just a marketing gesture: it helps to change the look on autism as soon as possible.
This new model joins the collection that includes Barbie with Down Syndrome (trisomy 21), a blind Barbie or a type 1 diabetic Barbie.
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