Barbie® Introduces the First Blind Barbie Fashionista Doll and Black Barbie Fashionista Doll With Down Syndrome, Allowing Even More Children to Tell Stories Through Play
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Released as part of this year’s global Barbie Fashionistas lineup, Barbie partnered with the
American Foundation for the Blind andNational Down Syndrome Society to ensure doll designs accurately reflect the community they are designed to represent
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Barbie® Introduces the First Blind Barbie Fashionista Doll and Black Barbie Fashionista Doll with Down Syndrome, Allowing Even More Children to Tell Stories Through Play (Graphic: Business Wire)
“We recognize that Barbie is much more than just a doll; she represents self-expression and can create a sense of belonging," said
Barbie partnered with the
Counseled by AFB, Barbie was committed to represent individuals with blindness and low vision throughout all stages of the design process, from the doll’s sculpt to the dress pattern:
- Accessories: The doll comes with a white and red cane with an identifiable marshmallow tip and includes stylish and functional sunglasses. With some blind or low-vision individuals sensitive to light, the lens provides additional eye protection.
- Elbow Articulations: The blind Barbie doll includes elbow articulations to ensure comfortable cane use.
- Textured and Vibrant Fabrics: Barbie conducted testing with blind and low-vision children to ensure that the doll provided an accessible and satisfying play experience for kids with blindness or low vision. With AFB’s guidance, Barbie designed the doll’s fashion to include a satiny pink blouse with a textured ruffle skirt for tactile interest. Additional details include a brightly colored high-contrast hook and loop fasteners for closure on the back of the doll’s top, as well as an elastic skirt waistband to make swapping outfits easier.
- Packaging and Design: Barbie worked with AFB to create accessible packaging for the doll, including the placement and writing of ‘Barbie’ in braille on the package.
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Eye Gaze : The doll is designed with an eye gaze facing slightly up and out to accurately reflect the sometimes-distinct eye gaze of a blind individual.
"It was an honor to collaborate with Barbie on the development of the blind Barbie doll,” said
In 2023 Barbie introduced the first-ever Barbie doll with Down syndrome, which won the Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative of the Year award presented by the
- Sculpt: Barbie collaborated with the NDSS to accurately represent physical characteristics of people with Down syndrome including a shorter frame, longer torso and low muscle tone. Additionally, the doll’s palms include a single line, a characteristic often associated with those with Down syndrome. Special care was put into the face sculpt, featuring a rounder shape, smaller ears, and a flat nasal bridge. The eyes are slightly slanted in an almond shape while white dots can be seen in the iris.
- Hair: The doll has a braided hair texture which was one of the key features asked from the Black Down syndrome community.
- Fashion: Symbols are incorporated throughout the doll’s outfit, and the blue and yellow color palette represents Down syndrome awareness. The three arrows in some of the hearts on the dress, represent the third 21st chromosome that individuals with Down syndrome have.
- Glasses: The doll also wears pink eyeglasses, representing individuals with Down syndrome who often experience difficulties with their vision.
"NDSS is thrilled to introduce a second Barbie doll with Down syndrome. Having this doll launched alongside the new Barbie doll with Blindness marks another important step in expanding representation for the disability community,” said
“We are delighted to introduce these dolls in partnership with the
Doll play has proven to help develop empathy and social processing skills among children, fueling social skills needed to excel in their futures as they imagine they can be anything. As the brand's most diverse doll line, the Barbie Fashionistas series offers more than 175+ looks in a variety of skin tones, eye colors, hair colors and textures, body types, disabilities and fashions. This includes dolls with vitiligo, dolls that use a wheelchair or a prosthetic limb, a doll with hearing aids and a doll without hair. The 2024 Fashionistas dolls aim to advance Barbie’s continued goal of reflecting a multi-dimensional view of beauty and fashion, allowing more children to see their world reflected through play.
The 2024 Fashionistas dolls, including the blind Barbie doll and Black Barbie doll with Down syndrome, are available online now and in-store this Summer at major retailers for
To celebrate this launch, Barbie is also collaborating with accessible fashion brand Aille Design (pronounced: eye) on a Barbie-inspired collection, featuring pieces with fully legible braille beadwork. Details include Barbie’s original black and white chevron pattern on a slip dress, a black neck scarf and a classic t-shirt in a hue of iconic Barbie pink, each featuring Aille Design’s signature braille beadwork made with Swarovski® pearls.
About
About the
Founded in 1921, the
About NDSS
MAT-BARB
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