Mattel has unveiled its first-ever autistic Barbie with stimming hands, a tablet, fidget spinner, and other features associated with neurodivergence.
Developed in partnership with US charity the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the autistic Barbie took more than 18 months to create and reflects some of the ways autistic children experience and communicate with the world.
“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 explained.
“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.”
New autistic Barbie comes with neurodivergent features
There are several immediate factors that showcase the doll’s autistic side, including how her gaze is shifted slightly to the side to mimic how some autistic people avoid eye contact.
The Barbie also has articulated elbows and wrists to allow for stimming, hand flapping, and other gestures that can express excitement.
Each figure is packaged with a pink finger-clip fidget spinner, a pair of noise-canceling headphones, and a tablet accessory.
The tablet displays a symbol-based Augmentative and Alternative Communication interface, designed to support daily communication needs.
Finally, the doll is dressed in a relaxed purple pinstripe A-line dress with short sleeves and a flowing skirt, designed to reduce fabric contact against the skin. The look is finished with purple flat shoes, offering added stability and comfortable movement.
“We engaged with the autistic community throughout the design process, always mindful that autism is experienced differently by every individual and is not always visible,” Cygielman said.
Jolanta Lasota, the chief executive of Ambitious about Autism, noted that while any Barbie could theoretically be autistic, “because autism doesn’t have one look,” she emphasized that “representation is powerful.”
Barbie isn’t the only way that autism is being highlighted to the masses. In video games, the Overwatch 2 hero Symmetra is on the spectrum, something that Blizzard tried to highlight on the battlefield.
