Mattel Inc. has added an autistic Barbie to its growing line of inclusive fashion dolls, with the new model set to go on sale from Monday. The doll joins a collection that already includes Barbies with Down syndrome, a blind Barbie, a Barbie and a Ken with vitiligo, as well as figures representing a range of abilities, body types and skin tones.
According to a report by Economic Times, the company said it spent more than 18 months developing the autistic Barbie in partnership with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a nonprofit group that works to improve the rights and media representation of people with autism. According to Mattel, the aim was to design a doll that reflects how some autistic people experience and process the world around them.
Autism presents in many different ways, which made the design process complex, said Noor Pervez, the network’s community engagement manager who worked closely with Mattel on the prototype. Like many disabilities, "autism doesn't look any one way," he said. "But we can try and show some of the ways that autism expresses itself," The Economic Times has quoted.
To reflect this, the new Barbies’ eyes are angled slightly to the side to represent how some autistic people avoid direct eye contact. The doll also has articulated elbows and wrists to acknowledge stimming, hand flapping and similar movements that some people with autism use to manage sensory input or express excitement, Mattel said, as quoted by The Economic Times.
Clothing was another point of discussion during development. Pervez said some autistic people prefer loose-fitting clothes because they are sensitive to seams, while others choose tight clothing for body awareness. The team opted for an A-line dress with short sleeves and a flowing skirt to limit fabric contact with the skin, while flat shoes were chosen to offer stability and comfort.
Each doll comes with accessories designed to reflect tools commonly used by autistic people, including a pink finger-clip fidget spinner, noise-canceling headphones and a pink tablet based on communication devices used by people who have difficulty speaking.
The launch also prompted Mattel to create facial features inspired by its employees in India, using mood boards reflecting a range of women with Indian backgrounds. Pervez said it was important for the doll to represent a part of the autistic community that is often overlooked.
Mattel has steadily expanded the Fashionistas line in recent years. It released its first doll with Down syndrome in 2023 and introduced a Barbie with Type 1 diabetes last summer. The collection also includes dolls with prosthetic legs, hearing aids, and a wide range of body shapes, hairstyles and skin tones, as reported by The Economic Times.
"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, Mattel's global head of dolls, said, The Economic Times has quoted.
The new autistic Barbie will be sold through Mattel’s online store and at Target locations from Monday at a suggested retail price of $11.87. Walmart is expected to begin selling the doll in March.
In the United States, autism remains common among children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last year that about one in 31 eight-year-olds has autism. The agency also found that Black, Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander children were more likely to receive a diagnosis than white children, and that autism was more than three times as prevalent among boys as among girls, according to The Economic Times.