Down Syndrome NSW is thrilled to announce the release of the new Black Barbie doll with Down syndrome, marking a significant milestone in the journey toward greater diversity and inclusion in the toy industry.
This year, Barbie once again partnered with the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) to introduce it's next doll with Down syndrome to the Barbie Fashionistas 2024 lineup. Throughout all stages of the design process, Barbie and NDSS worked together to ensure the Black Barbie doll with Down syndrome accurately reflected and resonated with members of the Down syndrome community. NDSS connected Barbie with a focus group of Black individuals from the Down syndrome community, including a young Black woman with Down syndrome, to review the doll’s sculpt, hair, fashion and glasses.
This release comes alongside the new Barbie doll with blindness, further expanding representation for the disability community. This is the second Barbie doll with Down syndrome, following the successful launch of the first Barbie with Down syndrome last year.
"NDSS is thrilled to introduce a second Barbie doll with Down syndrome. Having this doll launched alongside the new Barbie doll with blindness marks another important step in expanding representation for the disability community," said Kandi Pickard, NDSS president and CEO, in the release.
Released as part of 2024's global Barbie Fashionistas lineup, Mattel partnered with the American Foundation for the Blind and National Down Syndrome Society to ensure doll designs accurately reflect the community they are designed to represent.
The Black Barbie doll with Down syndrome comes with a pair of pink eyeglasses, representing individuals with Down syndrome who experience difficulties with their vision. Her dress contains symbols that are meaningful to the Down syndrome community, including a blue and yellow color palette representing Down syndrome awareness and hearts with three arrows symbolizing the third 21st chromosome that individuals with Down syndrome have.
The new doll also features the same physical characteristics as the original Barbie with Down syndrome, including a horizontal line across her palms, a flat nasal bridge, and eyes that are slightly slanted in an almond shape. However, her hair has a braided texture, a feature highly requested by the Black Down syndrome community.
Krista Berger, a senior vice president at Mattel, stated, "We recognize that Barbie is much more than just a doll; she represents self-expression and can create a sense of belonging. We proudly introduce a new blind Barbie doll and Black doll with Down syndrome to our Barbie Fashionistas line, reinforcing our commitment to creating products that represent global belonging and inclusivity in the doll aisle."
This new Black Barbie doll with Down syndrome joins the groundbreaking lineup of inclusive dolls, following the release of the world’s first Barbie with Down syndrome last year. This expansion of the Barbie Fashionistas line highlights Mattel's ongoing commitment to representing diversity and inclusion, ensuring that children of all backgrounds can see themselves reflected in their toys.
At Down Syndrome NSW, we understand that there will be varied reactions to this launch from our families and the wider community. While we expect mostly positive feedback, we also acknowledge that some may feel the doll does not fully represent their experiences. We warmly welcome this diversity of views and believe it contributes to a richer conversation about representation.
If nothing else, this newly released Barbie doll will spark curiosity, conversation, and a search for information by putting Down syndrome into the mainstream. What better stage to do this than in childhood through toys? We welcome this announcement and look forward to seeing the dolls hit Australian stores through Mattel’s distributors.
