Mattel releases 1st autistic Barbie doll, featuring sensory-sensitive accessories: Every child deserves to see themselves

Children with autism now have a Barbie doll that looks like them. Mattel unveiled its first autistic Barbie doll on Monday in hopes of helping members of the autistic community feel seen.

The doll, according to a press release from the popular toy manufacturer, was designed “with guidance from the autistic community to represent common ways autistic people may experience, process and communicate about the world around them.â€

Developing the doll took over 18 months and was done in partnership with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a nonprofit organization that advocates for increased representation for those in the autism community.

“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,†Jamie Cygielman, global head of dolls at Mattel, said in a statement. “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.â€

“It is so important for young autistic people to see authentic, joyful representations of themselves, and that's exactly what this doll is,†Colin Killick, executive director of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, added.

Intentional design choices were made by Mattel in collaboration with ASAN to “reflect some experiences individuals on the autism spectrum may relate to,†according to the toy manufacturer's press release.

Wrist and elbow articulation, hand flapping and other hand gestures that enable repetitive actions and self-stimulatory behavior, also known as stimming, are among the autistic Barbie doll's features. The doll's eyes are also slightly shifted to represent how some members of the autistic community avoid direct eye contact.

This Barbie doll's fashion is also sensory-sensitive. The autistic Barbie doll is dressed in an intentionally loose-fitted, striped purple dress with a ruffled skirt to minimize fabric-to-skin contact. She also has accessories that tend to be staples among members of the autistic community: noise-canceling headphones, a tablet that uses Augmentative and Alternative Communication apps to aid communication and a fidget spinner.

The autistic Barbie doll is the latest addition to Mattel's expanding Fashionistas line, designed to both help children see themselves reflected in the dolls and encourage them to play with dolls that represent experiences beyond their own. The Fashionistas line includes Barbie with Down syndrome, Blind Barbie and Barbie with vitiligo.

Barbie with type 1 diabetes, which was designed in collaboration with Breakthrough T1D, a type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization, was added to the Fashionistas line last summer.