US toy giant unveils first autistic Barbie doll

The new model joins Mattel’s line of dolls with disabilities and diverse body types and skin tones

US toy maker Mattel has released the first autistic Barbie doll, expanding its flagship line as part of what the company says is a broader effort to showcase diversity and inclusion.

The doll was developed with guidance from the autistic community over more than 18 months, Mattel said. It is the newest addition to the ‘Barbie Fashionistas’ line, which already includes dolls representing people with type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome, and blindness, and is designed so that more children “see themselves in Barbie.”

According to Mattel, the doll’s eyes gaze slightly to one side, reflecting how some autistic people “avoid direct eye contact.” She has bendable elbows and wrists to allow repetitive physical movements such as stimming and hand-flapping, and comes with accessories including a fidget spinner, noise canceling headphones, and a tablet with symbol based communication apps. The company said the doll also wears a loose fitting dress intended to reflect “sensory sensitive” clothing preferences.

“It’s yet another step in making the Barbie brand a more inclusive reflection of the children who play with it,” Mattel said.

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Barbie was first launched in 1959 and until 2019, the line did not include dolls with disabilities. In response to longstanding criticism that its traditional blonde, blue eyed, thin-waisted dolls failed to reflect real women, Mattel has in recent years expanded its range of models to include what it describes as its most diverse selection of skin tones, hair textures, body types, and characters. The line now includes dolls that are blind, use wheelchairs, have hearing aids, prosthetic limbs, and vitiligo, as well as Ken dolls with a prosthetic leg and a wheelchair.

Mattel has also released a doll wearing a hijab as a tribute to Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first American athlete to compete at the Olympic Games while wearing the headdress.

Other toy manufacturers have made similar efforts. In 2016, Lego released a minifigure of a young man in a wheelchair as part of its ‘Toys Like Me’ drive.