Toy maker Mattel on Tuesday launched its first blind Barbie in partnership with the American Foundation for the Blind, an advocacy group for the blind and low vision. Everything from Barbie’s outfit to her packaging was designed to help children who are blind or low vision find a doll that represents them, Mattel said in a news release.
Lucy Edwards, a disability activist and British TV announcer who lost her sight at age 17, is taking part in Mattel’s campaign to launch their latest doll. “When I see blind Barbie, I feel validated,” she said in a video shared by Mattel in which she was filmed holding the doll for the first time.
She said she used to be embarrassed to hold a cane when she was younger, but she likes how Barbie’s cane fits snugly in her hand and the texture of the ruffled skirt. “I’m really impressed. I wish I’d had this when I was little.”
Mattel said the tactile fabrics of the doll’s pink satin T-shirt and purple tulle skirt were chosen after testing the doll with children who are visually impaired. In that statement. The company said the doll has sculpted elbow joints to allow Barbie to move comfortably around her wand, an elasticated waistband on her skirt for easy dress-up play, and the box the doll comes in has “Barbie” written in Braille.
Mattel also consulted with the Royal National Institute for Blind People when developing the doll.
“It’s fantastic that children who are visually impaired will now be able to play with a Barbie doll that looks just like them,” RNIB spokesperson Debbie Miller said in a news release issued by Mattel. “This means a lot to the blind and low vision community as it acknowledges that not everyone can see well. It’s a positive step.”
Parents with disabilities Explained How difficult it is to find a doll that represents them.
RNIB: A guide to finding toys For children with visual impairments, toys with strong color and tone contrast, bold lettering, good light reflections and interesting textures, smells and sounds work particularly well, the researchers said.
“All children love to play, and vision is just one way of exploring and learning about the world,” the guide says, adding: “Toys with glasses, guide dogs or white canes help visually impaired children develop positive self-esteem and express their experiences through role-play. These toys also help them explain diversity and difference to siblings and sighted friends.”
Blind Barbie was released by Mattel along with the first black doll with Down Syndrome. White doll with Down Syndrome 2023.
Krista Berger, senior vice president and head of global dolls for Barbie, said the doll demonstrates Mattel’s “commitment to creating products that represent a global sense of belonging and inclusivity in the doll aisle.”
The two new dolls are part of Barbie’s “Fashionistas” series, which was launched in 2009 and now includes more than 175 dolls with a variety of body types and skin tones. Doll with vitiligoThere are dolls with hearing aids, dolls without hair, dolls with prosthetic legs, dolls in wheelchairs with ramps, and more.
For decades, Barbie has been criticized for lacking diversity and promoting unrealistic beauty standards, but Mattel has been “sensitive and adaptive to changing cultural and political discourse in society” and continually updated the doll with lines like the “Fashionista” series, which has led to the doll’s long-term success, says Samir Hosani, a marketing professor at Royal Holloway, University of London. He previously told the Post.
