Mattel has unveiled an autistic Barbie, the toy giant’s latest offering aimed at allowing a broader range of children “to see themselves” in the iconic plastic doll.
The Barbie line, which first introduced dolls with disabilities in 2019, already features Barbies with type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome and blindness, the US company said in a statement.
Autism is a complex and broad-spectrum neurodevelopmental disorder. It has multiple origins, primarily linked to a combination of predominantly genetic and environmental factors.
Mattel said it had developed its “first-ever autistic Barbie doll” with guidance from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), a disability rights organisation seeking equal rights and greater visibility for autistic people.
The doll is designed “to represent common ways autistic people may experience, process and communicate about the world,” the El Segundo, California-based toymaker said.
Unlike traditional Barbie, the new doll has elbow and wrist joints, enabling it to make gestures some autistic people use to process sensory information or express excitement, Mattel said.
It was also designed with eyes gazing slightly to the side, “which reflects how some members of the autistic community may avoid direct eye contact”.
The dolls come with a sensory stress-relief toy, noise-cancelling headphones and a tablet, the company said, adding that it has pledged to donate 1,000 of them to US pediatric hospitals specialising in autism care.
Current scientific knowledge does not precisely identify all the causes of autism, which has left room for the circulation of numerous false theories, including alleged causal links with vaccines, excessive screen use, or taking paracetamol during pregnancy.
For more Child stories, click here.
