Mattel Introduces Down’s Syndrome Barbie and I Am HERE FOR IT
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April 27, 2023Once a thousand years ago I watched a video on the internet of a little black girl getting a doll that was also black, with gorgeous curly hair and a big bright smile just like hers. The joy on that tiny person’s face as she looked at this doll that looked like her made me an instant believer in diverse representation for kids.
So the new Down’s syndrome Barbie is a freaking slam dunk for society, as far as I’m concerned. Mattel worked with the National Down’s Syndrome Society to design the doll in an effort to “enable all children to see themselves in Barbie.”
“Mattel said it consulted the NDSS and medical professionals to inform the design process, introducing a new face and body sculpt to be more illustrative of women with Down’s syndrome, including a shorter frame and a longer torso.
Guided by the NDSS, the doll’s pink pendant necklace with three upward chevrons represents the three copies of the 21st chromosome, which is the genetic material that causes the characteristics associated with the condition.”
Ellie Goldstein, a model who herself has Down’s syndrome, has been working with Mattel to promote the doll. In an appearance on This Morning in the UK, she said she was “really happy” to see herself represented in a Barbie doll, and her mom echoed her enthusiasm to see the diversity in representation. “It’s good to see inclusion and diversity out there,” Goldstein– the first model with Down’s syndrome to appear on the cover of British Vogue— said.
We at Chicks on the Right love to celebrate good ol’ fashioned girl power in all its myriad beautiful forms. Inclusive Barbies may seem insignificant to a lot of people, but to a little girl who looks different from her peers, seeing a Barbie that looks like her can mean the world. Mattel did their fair share of scrambling as their sales trended downward, and while I can’t speak to the financial aspect, I can say that their move to diversify Barbie– whom my mom always told us had so many purses so she could carry around her kidneys– is refreshing.
I hope this Down’s syndrome Barbie brings little girls today as much joy as my sister and I got out of them growing up.
5 Comments
Wow, what beauties, I’m sooo getting one of those Delightfully Sweet Barbie dolls! I’d like know if Mattel will make DS Barbies that are black, Latino, Asian and other people groups? I think they should. This one looks far better than the usual Barbie that has unrealistic measurements. But that’s just me.
They’ve been diversifying their line for a while now! Different body types, races, (dis)abilities, etc. Makes me happy to see.
I just found out that Steve Crowder laughed at the little girls playing with this doll, calling them “retards”. This angered me because I was often called that at school. Crowder professes to be prolife and should be the last one to put down those children. It’s bad enough that they’re targeted for abortion by eugenicists. They’re virtually non-existent in Iceland because DS babies are aborted upon being diagnosed with it.
Why can’t I see a picture of it?
An excellent question… I just updated to embed a tweet. thanks for pointing this out 🙂