Autism barbie doll: Mattel launches first autistic doll but National Autistic Society offers word of caution

The launch of Mattel’s first autistic Barbie has been welcomed by campaigners and charities but one group has also offered a word of caution. While the doll has been described as a step towards more “authentic, joyful” representation for neurodivergent children, the National Autistic Society said it is important to remember “autistic people can be very different to each other”.

Creators of the toy said it “invites more children to see themselves represented in Barbie”. The finished product was created with input from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) in an effort to hear first-hand from the autistic community on the kinds of features the doll should have.

The network described the doll as a “milestone” in representation and said it was “thrilled” to help with the design, adding: “It is so important for young autistic people to see authentic, joyful representations of themselves, and that’s exactly what this doll is.”

Ellie Middleton, an autistic writer who regularly shares her experiences online, described the doll as a “powerful symbol” for young girls in feeling accepted. She said: “To now have an autistic Barbie doll makes me so emotional.

“Statistics show that young girls are often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, so to have a powerful symbol like this autistic Barbie doll helps bring the conversation around neurodivergence in women to the forefront, so that autistic girls can feel accepted and seen.”

However, the National Autistic Society (NAS) cautioned that, given autism is a spectrum, it is “important to remember autistic people can be very different to each other, with different sets of strengths and challenges”.

The society describes autism as a “lifelong neurodivergence and disability” which influences how people experience and interact with the world. It estimates more than one in 100 people are autistic and that there are at least 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.

NAS managing director of national programmes, Peter Watt, said: “Seeing more depictions of autism is key to understanding and autism acceptance. It’s really important that these representations are authentic and based on extensive consultation with autistic people, and we’re pleased Mattel involved the autistic community in the development of this doll.”

Autism Barbie doll design features

The autistic Barbie doll features specific design choices intended to reflect some experiences to which autistic people might relate. They include:

• Loose clothing: To ensure less fabric-to-skin contact.
• Eye gaze slightly to the side: Representing the way some autistic people might avoid direct eye contact.
• Pink fidget spinner: To reduce stress and improve focus.
• Noise-cancelling headphones: To block out background sounds, limiting sensory overload.
• Moveable elbows and wrists: To allow gestures which might be used by some autistic people to process sensory information or express excitement.
• Pink tablet: Symbolising the way some people might use digital tools to help with their everyday communication.

Barbie dolls with disabilities

Mattel has, in what it described as efforts to create a brand with a more inclusive reflection of the children who play with its products, previously created dolls to represent people with a range of disabilities and special needs. These include a doll using a wheelchair, diabetic and blind Barbies and a doll with Down’s syndrome.