Barbies will now sport new looks that empower those who play with them, with the first-ever blind Barbie and Olympic athlete dolls hitting the shelves, Mattel announced Tuesday.
The blind Barbie and Black Barbie with down syndrome will join the Fashionista collection, which aims to be a representative and inclusive collection of dolls.
The blind Barbie, made through the collaboration with the American Foundation for the Blind, features the classic Barbie doll look with sleek blown-out hair, bright eyes, a colorful outfit and high heels along with a red-and-white cane and sunglasses that match her outfit.
Her clothing is textured as many visually-impaired people’s is to make it easier for them to get dressed.
The first Black Barbie with down syndrome is the second doll with the medical condition, with her white counterpart having been released in Spring 2023.
Just in time for the Paris Olympic Games, nine Olympic athlete dolls will be launched to honor female athletes around the world.
The athletes honored with look-alike dolls represent many sports and countries that will be competing in the Paris Olympic Games:
- Venus Williams, United States tennis player
- Christine Sinclair, Canadian soccer player
- Mary Fowler Australian soccer player
- Estelle Mossely, French boxer
- Maxa Moreno, Mexican gymnast
- Rebecca Andrade, Brazilian gymnast
- Susana Rodríguez, Spanish paratriathlete
- Federica Pellegrini, Italian swimmer
- Ewa Swoboda, Polish runner
These dolls will become part of Barbie’s Dream Gap collection, a collection of one-of-a-kind dolls that look like celebrated women from around the world. The collection is meant to publicize the achievements of the women represented by the dolls.
Though the nine Olympic athlete dolls are simply a motivational campaign and will not be released for purchase, Barbie has released Olympics playsets that represent generic versions of the dolls.
The three playsets come with dolls that represent various Olympic sports and accessories to match their activities. All of the dolls’ limbs are flexible for players to simulate athletic movements.