Mattel Launches First Ever Autistic Barbie Doll – Who Carries Fidget Spinner And Avoids Eye Contact

ByMF Jones

Mattel has released its first ever autistic Barbie doll – which follows the company’s branching out from its classic blonde Barbie to models with type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome, blindness, prosthetic limbs and even transgender Barbie.

Autistic barbie comes complete with the following:

  • A fidget spinner
  • Tablet for communication
  • Noise-cancelling headphones
  • Bendable elbows and wrists for flapping and stimming
  • Averted gaze to avoid eye contact

I mean, they’ve absolutely knocked that out of the park, haven’t they? Of course, fidget spinners, tablets and noise-cancelling headphones are accessories any Barbie/person could use, not just those with autism, but it’s spot on if you’re marketing a doll that needs to be convincingly autistic.

The averted gaze is a nice touch:

Mattel developed the doll with guidance from the autistic community in partnership with Autistic Self Advocacy Network, so fair play to them for that. Don’t want to get it wrong and immediately have millions of autists conspiring on Reddit to review-bomb you into oblivion.

Colin Killick, Executive Director of ASAN, said: ‘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. 

‘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.’

Indeed – it’s always good to find ways to make children and young people feel represented.

Then again, most Barbies end up naked and/or mutilated in a box wearing each other’s accessories by the end of their lifespans, so maybe it’s all the same thing at the end of the day.

For the time Warwick University spent wasted £200,000 on a Barbie-inspired learning space at their campus, click HERE. Money well spent!

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