Mattel Introduces ‘Autistic Barbie’

The mission statement of Mattel’s Barbie Fashionista line is that they are “designed to champion individuality through bold style, expressive personalities, and truly inclusive dolls.” That mission took another step forward with the recent announcement of a new series of Barbie Fashionista dolls for people with autism.

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A few years ago, the Fashionista line debuted the first-ever Barbie with Downs Syndrome,  and now they have expanded to include dolls that represent the way autistic people experience, process and communicate with the world around them. Developed in partnership with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), the dolls feature new face and body sculpts, accessories and even clothing made of sensory-sensitive fabrics.

“As proud members of the autistic community, our ASAN team was thrilled to help create the first-ever autistic Barbie doll. It is so important for young autistic people to see authentic, joyful representations of themselves, and that’s exactly what this doll is,” said Colin Killick, ASAN Executive Director in an official statement. “Partnering with Barbie allowed us to share insights and guidance throughout the design process to ensure the doll fully represents and celebrates the autistic community, including the tools that help us be independent. We’re honored to see this milestone come to life, and we will keep pushing for more representation like this that supports our community in dreaming big and living proud.”

The new sculpts and articulation emphasize traits often associated with people with autism—for example, the Autistic Barbie doll includes articulation at the elbows and wrists, allowing for stimming, hand flapping and other hand gestures, which some members of the autistic community use as a way to process sensory information or to share excitement.  The face sculpts also feature eye gazes shifted slightly to the side, indicative of how some with autism avoid direct eye contact. The dolls also come with headphones, tablets and fidget spinners, representing the ways autistic people avoid sensory overload and help with communication.

In addition to ASAN, Mattel is partnering with autism advocates to raise awareness for the line as they work to celebrate the experience of those in the autistic community, including the mother-daughter tandem of Mikko Mirage Hill and Precious Hill, who produce the YouTube channel The Gentle Life. They are also working with Madison Marilla, the star of Season 3 of Love on the Spectrum, and Aarushi Pratap, an autistic fashion designer.