Barbie unveils first-ever doll with Down syndrome
Written by ABC Audio All Rights Reserved on April 25, 2023
(NEW YORK) — Barbie is marking a new first in the doll’s 64-year history.
On Tuesday, Mattel unveiled the first-ever Barbie doll with Down syndrome.
The new Barbie was created through a partnership between Mattel and the National Down Syndrome Society, which describes itself as “the leading human rights organization for all individuals with Down syndrome.”
Around 1 in every 700 babies born in the United States have Down syndrome, or around 6,000 babies born each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Babies with Down syndrome are born with an extra chromosome, which changes how their body and brain develops, according to the CDC.
The new Barbie is part of the Barbie Fashionistas collection, the brand’s most inclusive line.
Barbie has previously launched dolls with hearing aids, vitiligo, prosthetic limbs and wheelchairs, among others, to allow more children to see themselves represented in Barbie dolls.
In addition to the Barbie Fashionista doll with Down syndrome, other new dolls to be released this year include a Fashionista doll wearing braces and a Ken Fashionista doll with a prosthetic leg, according to Mattel.
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