Barbie aims at inclusivity, launches first blind Barbie fashionista doll

New Delhi: Mattel announced the addition of a blind Barbie doll, aimed to allow more children to find a doll that represents them and inspire all children to tell more stories through play.

“We recognise that Barbie is much more than just a doll; she represents self-expression and can create a sense of belonging," said Krista Berger, Senior Vice-President of Barbie and Global Head of Dolls. “We proudly introduce a new blind Barbie doll to our Barbie Fashionistas line, reinforcing our commitment to creating products that represent global belonging and inclusivity in the doll aisle.”

Barbie partnered with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) to ensure details of the blind Barbie doll, including face sculpt, fashion, accessories, packaging experience, and e-commerce communication, accurately depict individuals with blindness or low vision. 
 
The newly launched range includes:

• Accessories: The doll comes with a white and red cane with an identifiable marshmallow tip and includes sunglasses. With some blind or low-vision individuals sensitive to light, the lens provides additional eye protection.
• Elbow Articulations: The blind Barbie doll includes elbow articulations to ensure cane use.
• Fabrics: Barbie conducted testing with blind and low-vision children to ensure that the doll provided an experience for kids with blindness or low vision. With AFB’s guidance, Barbie designed the doll’s fashion to include a satiny pink blouse with a textured ruffle skirt for interest. Additional details include a colored high-contrast hook and loop fasteners for closure on the back of the doll’s top, as well as an elastic skirt waistband, aimed to make swapping outfits easier.
• Packaging and Design: Barbie worked with AFB to create packaging for the doll, including the placement and writing of ‘Barbie’ in braille on the package. 
• Eye Gaze: The doll is designed with an eye gaze facing slightly up and out to reflect the sometimes-distinct eye gaze of a blind individual.

"It was an honor to collaborate with Barbie on the development of the blind Barbie doll,” said Eric Bridges, CEO and President, American Foundation for the Blind. “By increasing representation and promoting awareness about the experiences of blind individuals and those with low vision, our shared goal is to inspire boundless opportunities for everyone, ultimately leading to a world of greater accessibility and inclusion."

Barbie once again partnered with the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) to introduce its next doll with Down syndrome to the Barbie Fashionistas 2024 lineup. NDSS connected Barbie with a focus group of Black individuals from the Down syndrome community, including a young Black woman with Down syndrome, to review the doll’s sculpt, hair, fashion and glasses:

• Sculpt: Barbie collaborated with the NDSS to represent physical characteristics of people with Down syndrome including a shorter frame, longer torso and low muscle tone. Additionally, the doll’s palms include a single line, a characteristic often associated with those with Down syndrome. The face sculpt aimed at featuring a rounder shape, smaller ears, and a flat nasal bridge. The eyes are slightly slanted in an almond shape while white dots can be seen in the iris. 
• Hair: The doll has a braided hair texture which was one of the key features asked from the Black Down syndrome community.
• Fashion: Symbols are incorporated throughout the doll’s outfit, and the blue and yellow color palette represents Down syndrome awareness. The three arrows in some of the hearts on the dress, represent the third 21st chromosome that individuals with Down syndrome have. 
• Glasses: The doll also wears pink eyeglasses, representing individuals with Down syndrome who often experience difficulties with their vision.

"NDSS is thrilled to introduce a second Barbie doll with Down syndrome. Having this doll launched alongside the new Barbie doll with Blindness marks another important step in expanding representation for the disability community,” said Kandi Pickard, President and CEO, NDSS. “We are proud to partner with Barbie as they grow to reflect our diverse and beautiful world."

“We are delighted to introduce these dolls in partnership with the American Foundation for the Blind and National Down Syndrome Society to further our mission for every young girl to feel represented and celebrated through Barbie,” Berger continued. 

The 2024 Fashionistas dolls, including the blind Barbie doll and Black Barbie doll with Down syndrome, will be available in India starting August 2024 across toy stores both, online and offline.