Mattel is aiming to expand on inclusivity by introducing its first-ever autistic Barbie.
In an announcement on Sunday, Mattel said the doll was created with guidance from the autistic community to “represent common ways autistic people may experience, process and communicate about the world around them.”
The company developed the doll for more than 18 months in partnership with ASAN, a non-profit disability rights organization run by and for autistic people that advocates for the rights of the autistic community.
The doll is also designed “with an eye gaze shifted slightly to the side, which reflects how some members of the autistic community may avoid direct eye contact,” Mattel explained.
Each doll comes with a pink finger clip fidget spinner, noise-cancelling headphones and a tablet.
The fidget spinner offers “a sensory outlet that can help reduce stress and improve focus,” according to Mattel.
The pink noise-cancelling headphones are used as “a helpful and fashionable accessory that reduces sensory overload by blocking out background noise,” and the pink tablet shows “symbol-based Augmentative and Alternative Communication apps (AAC) on its screen” that “serves as a tool to help with everyday communication.”
The development team debated whether to dress the doll in a tight or a loose-fitting outfit, according to Noor Pervez, the engagement manager for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network’s community, who worked closely with Mattel on the Barbie prototype.
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Some autistic people wear loose clothes because they are sensitive to the feel of fabric seams, while others wear figure-hugging garments to give them a sense of where their bodies are, he said.
The new doll is wearing a loose-fitting, purple pinstripe A-line dress with short sleeves and a flowy skirt that provides less fabric-to-skin contact, along with purple shoes with flat soles to promote stability and ease of movement.
“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.”
The autistic Barbie is the newest member of Mattel’s line, intended to celebrate diversity. The collection already includes Barbies with Down syndrome, a blind Barbie, a Barbie and a Ken with vitiligo and other models the toymaker added to make its fashion dolls more inclusive.
Mattel introduced its first doll with Down syndrome in 2023 and brought out a Barbie representing a person with Type 1 diabetes last summer.
Mattel said it had partnered with Breakthrough T1D — a Type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation — to ensure that the design of the doll “truly captures the community.”
That doll included accessories that “accurately reflect the medical equipment” people with Type 1 diabetes may need, the California-based company said.
The Barbie wears a continuous glucose monitor on her arm, which is a device used to track blood sugar levels. She is also holding a phone displaying an accompanying app for the CGM and has an insulin pump attached to her waist.
The doll carries a blue purse that can be used to hold other essential supplies or snacks on the go. Her fashion choice is also notable — she sports a blue polka dot style, which is a nod to the global symbol for diabetes awareness.
Supermodel Kate Moss’s daughter Lila was honoured with her own one-of-a-kind doll.
Lila, 23, has been very open about her diabetes diagnosis and shared her excitement for the launch of the new doll.
“Honoured to have a one-of-a kind Type 1 diabetic Barbie version of me to celebrate the launch of the first T1D Barbie,” she wrote on Instagram.
— with files from The Associated Press
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