Mattel unveils first Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes: 'We knew the time was right'
The popular toy manufacturer on Tuesday unveiled the most recent addition to its ever-growing Barbie Fashionista line: the Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes. The intention, per a press release from Mattel, was to give more children the opportunity to 'see themselves in Barbie' as well as 'the world around them.'
'We know that children's early childhood experiences, especially play, help shape what they imagine to be possible, and it is important that they feel they are represented,' Krista Berger, Barbie's senior vice president and head of dolls at Mattel, told Yahoo in an email. 'The Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes is an important next step on our journey to ensuring every child can see themselves in Barbie.'
To bring this Barbie to fruition, Mattel partnered with Breakthrough T1D, a type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization, to ensure that the doll visually reflects the realities of living with the condition.
With the organization's help, Mattel crafted a Barbie who wears a continuous glucose monitor that measures her blood sugar levels, which is secured to her arm with heart-shaped medical tape. She also has an insulin pump attached to her waist. This Barbie wears a blue polka-dot outfit — a blue circle is the global symbol of diabetes awareness — and carries a purse to hold any other necessities.
Berger said Mattel's decision to launch the type 1 diabetes doll was inspired by one specific statistic.
'According to our partner on the doll, Breakthrough T1D, approximately 219,000 children and adolescents under the age of 20 around the world were diagnosed with T1D in 2024,' Berger wrote to Yahoo. 'That number is powerful — and personal for so many families around the world. Given that data and the meaningful conversations we've had with our Barbie fans, we knew the time was right to debut the first Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes.'
Launched in 2009, the Barbie Fashionistas line features more than 175 dolls with varying body types, skin tones, hair colors and textures, eye colors, disabilities and senses of style. A blind Barbie, a Black Barbie with Down syndrome, a Barbie with hearing aids and a Barbie with vitiligo are among the different dolls featured in the collection.
Including a Barbie with type 1 diabetes felt both timely and appropriate.
'Introducing a Barbie with type 1 diabetes was a natural and meaningful addition to the Fashionistas line,' Berger wrote to Yahoo. 'It's another step in our ongoing commitment to inclusivity and to ensuring that all children feel seen, heard, and empowered through play.'
Added Berger, 'By including medical conditions like T1D, we're broadening the scope of representation in the toy aisle and helping kids imagine a world that embraces and celebrates differences.'
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