First visually challenged Barbie released by toy maker Mattel

The first visually challenged Barbie has been released by toy maker Mattel as part of their ongoing push to make the brand more inclusive.

The $5.58bn company debuted the doll as part of their Barbie Fashionistas line, which aims to give children a range of more diverse dolls to play with.

The visually challenged doll, which is on sale for £11.99, comes complete with a white and red cane for mobility and silver sunglasses for sensitivity to light. The brunette doll is also wearing a satin-feel pink blouse, a textured ruffle skirt, and has brightly coloured high-contrast hook and loop fasteners on the Barbie’s top to help children dress their toy.

Mattel worked with the American Foundation for the Blind to design the new toy and organised play sessions with blind and low-vision children to test the product.

Disability charity the Royal National Institute of Blind People hailed the new Barbie, with Debbie Miller, director of customer advice, saying: “It’s wonderful to think that children with a vision impairment can now play with a Barbie that looks like them.”

She added: “We’re so pleased with the details that have gone into designing this new Barbie, the tactile clothes as well as the cane and the sunglasses. It’s an acknowledgement that not everyone can see well, which means a lot to the blind and partially sighted community.”

Steven Morris, campaigns officer at charity Sense, who is himself deafblind, said: “As a child almost no mainstream toys were aimed towards blind children like me, and I doubt my non-disabled friends ever came across toys that represented a blind person.

“Things are gradually improving, and having the first blind Barbie doll is a huge step.”

The blind Barbie is one of a number of toys for the differently abled that Mattel has now released, the first being a doll in a wheelchair in 2019.

Barbies have also been released with prosthetic limbs and in 2023 Mattel introduced its first Down syndrome Barbie. In the 2024 Fashionistas range, Mattel have included their second Down syndrome doll, with features like a shorter frame and a single line down the doll’s palms – characteristics often associated with those with Down syndrome.

Krista Berger, senior vice president of Barbie, said: “We recognise that Barbie is much more than a doll; she represents self-expression and can create a sense of belonging.”

The Independent