“Mattel, Inc unveiled today its first-ever autistic Barbie doll created with guidance from the autistic community to represent common ways autistic people may experience, process, and communicate about the world around them. This doll invites more children to see themselves represented in Barbie. Developed for more than 18 months in partnership with ASAN, a non-profit organization run by and for autistic people that advocates for the rights of the autistic community, this doll joins the Barbie Fashionistas collection, which features the most diverse range of skin tones, hair textures, body types, and various medical conditions and disabilities,” says Mattel in a press release.
“The autistic Barbie doll features elbow and wrist articulation, enabling stimming, hand flapping, and other hand gestures that some members of the autistic community use to process sensory information or express excitement,” the release continued and yeah they’re really going all in on this with “The doll is designed with an eye gaze shifted slightly to the side, which reflects how some members of the autistic community may avoid direct eye contact.” And then there’s the accessories.
“Each doll comes with a finger clip fidget spinner, noise-cancelling headphones and a tablet. The doll holds a pink finger clip fidget spinner that actually spins, offering a sensory outlet that can help reduce stress and improve focus.Pink noise-cancelling headphones rest on top of the doll’s head as a helpful and fashionable accessory that reduces sensory overload by blocking out background noise. A pink tablet showing symbol-based Augmentative and Alternative Communication apps on its screen serves as a tool to help with everyday communication.” Damn that is friggin extra-specific.
Well surely Fox News and the rest of the MAGA propaganda-infotainment complex will be plenty fine with this new addition to the Barbie lineup – if they have the bandwidth for it. They may not.