How Mattel's New Barbie is Inspiring a More Inclusive Future for Kids' Toys

Mattel Inc, the toymaker that has been in business for almost 80 years, recently launched its first-ever Barbie doll with Down Syndrome. This move came amid calls for diversity and inclusivity in the world of toys. The new doll is part of the 2023 Barbie Fashionistas line, which aims to reflect the diversity of the real world and to provide children with dolls that better represent them. The doll with Down Syndrome wears a beautiful puff-sleeved dress decorated with a blue and yellow butterfly pattern. The doll's pink pendant necklace features three upward chevrons, representing the three copies of the 21st chromosome that are present in people with Down Syndrome. Mattel worked with the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) to create the doll, and the NDSS guided the design to ensure accuracy and representation. The new line also includes other diverse dolls, such as a Barbie with a prosthetic leg, a Barbie who uses a wheelchair, and male dolls that are thinner and less muscular. Mattel has described the 2023 Barbie Fashionistas line as its “most diverse and inclusive doll line, offering a variety of skin tones, eye colours, hair colours and textures, body types, disabilities and fashions, to inspire even more stories”. This new line is a significant step forward in the toy industry's efforts to represent and celebrate diversity.