Inclusivity has always been at the heart of the Barbie Fashionistas Collection, from celebrating diverse body types and hair textures to representing kids with disabilities. Now, Mattel is welcoming the first-ever Barbie doll with Autism Spectrum Disorder to the line.
The autistic Barbie doll was developed in close collaboration with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) to accurately represent the many ways people with autism process, experience, and interact with the world around them. By including this doll in the lineup, Mattel invites even more kids to see themselves reflected in Barbie, helping foster the community of kindness, inclusivity, and friendship that the character has always championed.
Autism encompasses a wide array of behaviors and characteristics, so the doll’s design team focused on accurately representing some of the most common ways people with autism process, experience, and interact with the world around them. For example, the doll’s gaze is shifted slightly to the side, representing how some members of the autistic community avoid direct eye contact. The elbows and wrists feature extra points of articulation, allowing the doll to stim and hand-flap, which helps many autistic people process sensory information or express themselves.
The doll represents some of the ways many people with autism experience and communicate with the world. | Source: Mattel/The Toy Book
Each Barbie includes a pink fidget spinner, noise-cancelling headphones, and an AAC-equipped tablet. | Source: Mattel/The Toy Book
The doll wears a flowy, sensory-friendly pinstripe dress and comes with a variety of accessories, including a pink fidget spinner finger clip, pink noise-canceling headphones, and a handheld tablet featuring symbol-based Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) apps. These tools help many people with autism navigate everyday situations with greater ease and comfort. Rounding out the look is a pair of purple sneakers, complete with flat soles for extra stability.
“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, Executive Director of ASAN. “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.”
To celebrate the launch, Mattel is teaming up with advocates from the autistic community — such as mother-daughter duo Precious and Mikko Mirage, entrepreneur Madison Marilla, and fashion designer and visual artist Aarushi Pratap — to share their unique stories and capture their reactions to seeing themselves represented as a Barbie doll for the first time. The video is now available to watch on YouTube.
Mattel will also donate more than 1,000 Barbie dolls to pediatric hospitals across the U.S. that specialize in providing care to autistic kids, including Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), and Rady Children’s Hospital Orange County.
The doll is available now at major retailers and on shop.mattel.com.
