TOY company Mattel has launched the first disabled or blind Barbie in its latest effort to make the iconic doll more inclusive and represent a wider cross-section of society.
This Barbie carries a white and red stick with a tip like a marshmallow and wears sunglasses on her head to provide additional protection for her eyes. The doll’s eyes are designed to look slightly upward and outward, according to a press release shared by American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) in partnership with Mattel.
These doll outfits are designed using textured fabrics such as satin blouses and frilly skirts that have brightly colored hooks for easy outfit changes.
The packaging of this doll is also equipped with Braille writing.
To create dolls that were accessible and faithfully depicted individuals with vision loss, Mattel partnered with several charities including AFB and Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
“Barbie is all about joy – about discovering and understanding the world through play – and it’s great to think that children with visual impairments can now play with a Barbie that looks just like them,” said RNIB’s director of customer advice and support Debbie Miller, quoted from CNN, Tuesday (23/7).
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“We are so excited about the detail that has gone into this new Barbie design, the textured outfit as well as the wand and sunglasses.”
“When I was growing up, I could only dream that this moment would come,” wrote activist Lucy Edwards, who is an ambassador for the doll.
“It’s so accepted that the world’s most popular doll is now visually impaired and looks just like me. I still can’t believe I’m typing this, but a blind Barbie is here.”
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Lucy Edwards, a blind broadcaster and disability activist, poses with the first blind Barbie released by Mattel.
Lucy Edwards, a blind broadcaster and disability activist, poses with the first blind Barbie released by Mattel.
After facing years of criticism for its dolls reinforcing traditional beauty standards with unrealistic proportions, Mattel began producing a more inclusive Barbie line in 2016 that featured a variety of body types as sales of the iconic toy began to decline.
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Three years later, the company announced the launch of the Barbie Fashionistas line, which featured dolls with prosthetic legs, hearing aids, and wheelchairs, as well as the skin condition vitiligo, which causes patches of skin to lose pigment.
“We recognize that Barbie is more than just a doll; she represents self-expression and can create a sense of belonging,” said Barbie senior vice president and global head of dolls Krista Berger.
In addition to the first blind Barbie doll, Mattel also released a black Barbie doll with Down syndrome to further expand its product diversity, a year after releasing the first doll with the genetic condition. (Z-10)
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