Mattel Launches First Barbie Doll with Down’s Syndrome – All You Need to Know

Mattel, a well-known American toy company, has recently introduced its first-ever Barbie doll with Down’s syndrome. This new addition is part of the Barbie Fashionistas line, which seeks to promote diversity and representation of beauty and to fight discrimination against individuals with disabilities.

The Barbie Fashionistas line already includes dolls with prosthetic legs, in wheelchairs, with vitiligo, and with hearing aids. The Down’s syndrome Barbie doll was created in collaboration with the National Down Syndrome Society of the United States, and it features different facial features, a rounder face, almond-shaped eyes, smaller ears, and a flat nasal bridge, all to represent individuals with Down’s syndrome.

The Down’s syndrome Barbie doll also wears a dress with puffed sleeves adorned with butterflies, yellow and blue flowers, pink orthopaedic anklets, and a pink necklace with three chevrons representing the three copies of chromosome 21.

This new addition to the Barbie Fashionistas line is an important step towards inclusion and representation for individuals with disabilities, and it serves as a reminder that representation matters. Lisa McKnight, the executive vice president and global head of Barbie and Mattel Dolls, states that their goal is to enable all children to see themselves in Barbie and to encourage them to play with dolls who do not look like themselves, which can teach understanding and build a greater sense of empathy, leading to a more accepting world.