AssetID: 53975512
Headline: First Ever Blind Barbie Doll Released
Caption: **VIDEO AVAILABLE: CONTACT INFO@COVERMG.COM TO RECEIVE** The first ever blind Barbie doll was launched by Mattel on Tuesday (23July2023). British broadcaster and disability activist Lucy Edwards who lost her sight at 17 features in a campaign with the new doll. Barbie partnered with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) to ensure details of the blind Barbie doll, including face sculpt, fashion, accessories, packaging experience, and e-commerce communication, accurately depict individuals with blindness or low vision. Counselled by AFB, Barbie was committed to represent individuals with blindness and low vision throughout all stages of the design process, from the doll’s sculpt to the dress pattern. The doll comes with a white and red cane with an identifiable marshmallow tip and includes stylish and functional sunglasses. With some blind or low-vision individuals sensitive to light, the lens provides additional eye protection. It also includes elbow articulations to ensure comfortable cane use. Mattel also conducted testing with blind and low-vision children to ensure that the doll provided an accessible and satisfying play experience for kids with blindness or low vision. With AFB’s guidance, Barbie designed the doll’s fashion to include a satiny pink blouse with a textured ruffle skirt for tactile interest. Additional details include a brightly coloured high-contrast hook and loop fasteners for closure on the back of the doll’s top, as well as an elastic skirt waistband to make swapping outfits easier. The doll is designed with an eye gaze facing slightly up and out to accurately reflect the sometimes-distinct eye gaze of a blind individual. Barbie also worked with AFB to create accessible packaging for the doll, including the placement and writing of ‘Barbie’ in braille on the package. Lucy, who met the blind Barbie doll for the first time on a fashion shoot, said: “To see the most well-known doll in the world introduce a blind Barbie makes me feel so seen. As a teenager, I felt isolated by losing my eyesight and not seeing role models like me. I was embarrassed by my cane – but knowing Barbie had a cane would have made me feel so differently about mine and helped me feel less alone on my journey to accept and embrace my blindness. It means everything to me.” Lucy lost sight in her right eye at 11 years old, before losing her full eyesight at 17 to a rare genetic disease named Incontinentia Pigmenti. Having had no one to look up to that reflected her experience, she made it her mission to share her journey with the world. She started posting her life living with blindness to social media as a teen and began an award-winning broadcasting career at age 20. She authored her debut book ‘Blind, Not Broken’ in March 2024, has a children’s novel ‘Ella Jones vs. The Sun Stealer’ coming out next year. Mattel also consulted Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the U.K. about the doll. Debbie Miller, Director of Customer Advice & Support at the Royal National Institute of Blind People, said: “Barbie is all about joy – about discovering and understanding the world through play – and it’s wonderful to think that children with a vision impairment can now play with a Barbie that looks like them. We’re so pleased with the details that have gone into designing this new Barbie, the tactile clothes as well as the cane and the sunglasses. It’s an acknowledgment that not everyone can see well, which means a lot to the blind and partially sighted community. This is a positive step forward in helping children and adults with sight loss feel like they belong and are recognised.” Krista Berger, Senior Vice President of Barbie and Global Head of Dolls, added: “We recognize that Barbie is much more than just a doll; she represents self-expression and can create a sense of belonging," said Krista Berger, Senior Vice President of Barbie and Global Head of Dolls. “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.”
Keywords: barbie, feature, mattel, blind, disability, toys, dolls, photo, video
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