Mattel unveils its first autistic Barbie, designed with input from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network to reflect common autistic experiences.
WASHINGTON: Mattel has introduced an autistic Barbie doll, its latest effort to help more children see themselves in the iconic toy.
The new doll expands a line that has included Barbies with type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome, and blindness since 2019.
Mattel developed the doll with guidance from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), a disability rights organisation.
The toymaker said the doll represents common ways autistic people may experience and communicate about the world.
It features elbow and wrist joints to enable gestures some autistic people use to process sensory information.
The doll’s eyes are designed to gaze slightly to the side, reflecting how some autistic people may avoid direct eye contact.
Each doll comes with a sensory stress-relief toy, noise-canceling headphones, and a tablet.
Mattel has pledged to donate 1,000 of the dolls to US pediatric hospitals specialising in autism care.
Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with multiple origins, primarily linked to genetic and environmental factors.
Current science does not precisely identify all causes, leaving room for numerous false theories to circulate.
