This Barbie has Down syndrome: Toymaker Mattel Inc., has teamed with the National Down Syndrome Society to introduce its first Barbie with the genetic condition on Tuesday — the latest doll in its inclusive lineup.
The El Segundo, Calif.-based company said that the new fashion doll is “created to allow even more children to see themselves in Barbie, as well as have Barbie reflect the world around them.”
The NDSS, which works to empower people living with Down syndrome, counseled the toymaker to ensure purposeful design choices to make the doll accurately represent a person with the congenital condition. Down syndrome, also known as Trisomy 21, is caused by the presence of an extra full or partial copy of chromosome 21.
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“This means so much for our community, who for the first time, can play with a Barbie doll that looks like them,” Kandi Pickard, NDSS’s president and CEO, said in a statement Tuesday. “This Barbie serves as a reminder that we should never underestimate the power of representation. It is a huge step forward for inclusion and a moment that we are celebrating.”
The new doll, part of Mattel’s 2023 Fashionistas slate, has a number of physical attributes that are associated with Trisomy 21, such as a rounder face, smaller ears, a flatter nasal bridge and eyes slightly slanted in an almond shape. The doll also has a shorter frame, longer torso and her palms include a single line. Physical attributes that can be seen on the new doll and were reviewed by a medical professional, Mattel said.
Her accompanying accessories are a nod to the symbols and colors associated with Down syndrome awareness. A yellow and blue floral dress features symbolic butterflies and her pink necklace bears a chevron pendant, a reference to the three copies of the 21st chromosome. The doll also has ankle orthotics to match those used by some children with Down syndrome to support their feet and ankles.
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“As the most diverse doll line on the market, Barbie plays an important role in a child’s early experiences, and we are dedicated to doing our part to counter social stigma through play,” said Lisa McKnight, Mattel’s executive vice president and global head of Barbie & Dolls.
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“Our goal is to enable all children to see themselves in Barbie, while also encouraging children to play with dolls who do not look like themselves,” McKnight added. “Doll play outside of a child’s own lived experience can teach understanding and build a greater sense of empathy, leading to a more accepting world. We are proud to introduce a Barbie doll with Down syndrome to better reflect the world around us and further our commitment to celebrating inclusion through play.”
Barbie was the brainchild of Ruth Handler, who co-founded Mattel in her garage with her husband, Elliot Handler. When the doll debuted at the New York Toy Fair in 1959, she had a tiny waist, slim hips and large bust and wore a black-and-white striped swimsuit. Mattel sold 300,000 dolls in its first year but has come under fire for decades for fostering aspirational but often unattainable beauty standards and creating dolls that don’t reflect real women or the doll’s diverse customers.
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The toymaker behind Hot Wheels, Fisher Price and American Girl dolls has since given the doll line a massive makeover. Mattel, which rolled out its gender-inclusive Creatable World line in 2019, has been evolving Barbie by launching more representive dolls with a wider variety of skin tones, eye colors and hairstyles. Some dolls have the autoimmune disorder vitiligo, some use a wheelchair or a prosthetic limb, one doll uses hearing aids and another has no hair. Other launches have included dolls inspired by historical figures, role models and contemporary sports stars, such as Naomi Osaka and Gabby Douglas.
The $10.99 Fall Fashionistas dolls are available in limited quantities online and in stores this summer and fall at major retailers. They’re launching ahead of Warner Bros.’ Mattel-backed “Barbie” movie that is directed by Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. The highly anticipated film roller-skates into theaters July 21.
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We are proud to introduce a Barbie doll with Down syndrome to better reflect the world around us and further our commitment to celebrating inclusion through play.” To ensure the doll accurately represents a person with Down syndrome, Barbie worked closely with the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS).
“The men felt that women would not buy a doll with a woman's body—with breasts and narrow waistlines and narrow ankles, this adult sexy-looking doll. Men felt that their wives would not want it and that it wouldn't be right for a child to have.” “At the time, baby dolls were the popular toy,” notes usatoday.com.
Barbie was invented in 1959 by Ruth Handler at the brink of second wave feminism. The creation and success of Barbie and Barbie dolls sparked controversy among feminists due to the unrealistic shape of her body, which represented an impossible stereotypes for women.
Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler introduced Barbie to the world in 1959, changing everything the world then knew about girls' dolls. The doll's inspiration was somewhat controversial, coming in part from the German comic strip character Bild Lilli, a sassy high-end call girl who was later sold as an adult novelty doll.
Barbie was the brainchild of Ruth Handler, co-founder (with her husband Elliot) of the toy company Mattel, Inc. Inspired by watching their daughter play with make-believe paper dolls of adult women, Handler realized there was an unfilled niche in the market for a toy that allowed little girls to imagine the future.
The first disabled Barbie was called “Share-a-Smile Becky,” released in 1997. The timing came 7 years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Mattel's idea behind the doll was to appeal to girls aged five to eight who enjoyed playing house, as well as to families who were expecting a new sibling. However, many parents were outraged at the idea of a pregnant Barbie, as theyy believed it promoted teen pregnancy.
The Barbie Effect is a term used to describe the potential negative impact that Barbie dolls can have on young girls' body image. Barbie dolls are typically very thin and have unrealistic proportions, which can lead girls to believe that they need to look a certain way in order to be beautiful.
Despite the enthusiasm, a number of Russian officials and lawmakers have slammed the iconic doll, made by US toy manufacturer Mattel, and the movie for promoting what they consider to be morally degraded Western values.
To encourage girls to stay in sports, Barbie is extending its partnership with VOICEINSPORT, a global digital platform that connects and inspires girls and women in sports through mentorship, educational content, and expert services, to help support and empower the next generation of women leaders in sports to thrive.
Because real women live in the bodies that can create and sustain life, cultures fear and thus seek to wrest control of those bodies from women themselves. Barbie the doll symbolizes that control in the form of objectified beauty, and instructs girls in self-control through self-objectification.
Barbie has negative influences on body image and causes lower body satisfaction levels among young girls, by giving children false pretenses and pressures about being skinny and perfect. Barbie is the most successful toy of the twentieth century and the alleged icon of female beauty (Kuther 39).
Detractors argue that the movie is "anti-male" and deemed propagandist due to its exploration of a society where Barbieland is governed entirely by women, while the Kens are relegated to mere objects devoid of inherent value.
This section discusses the way in which Barbie's hyper-sexualized physique directly defied Indian cultural norms regarding sexuality and gender, ultimately leading to Mattel removing the Barbie doll from the Indian mass market.
On April 25, 2023, Barbie® introduced its first doll with Down syndrome, a step to further increasing disability representation in the toy aisle. NDSS had the opportunity to advise Mattel to ensure the doll reflected characteristics and symbols of Down syndrome.
Barbie was the first mass-produced toy doll in the U.S. with adult features. The doll's original design was based on a German doll named Lilli, which was originally marketed as a raunchy gag gift for adult men. Mattel bought the rights to Lilli, and Handler renamed it "Barbie" after her daughter, Barbara.
In the archaeological record, the oldest probable case of Down syndrome came from a 9-year-old child who lived in England sometime between A.D. 700 and 900.
Mattel unveils a new line of Barbie bodies in 2016 with the hashtag #TheDollEvolves. Starting on March 1, Barbie dolls become available on retail shelves with three new body shapes: petite, tall, and curvy, in addition to her slender frame.
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