Barbie Fashionistas Doll # 208, Barbie Doll with Down Syndrome Wearing Floral Dress, Created in Partnership with the National Down Syndrome Society, HJT05

Product Information

The doll wears a yellow and blue dress with butterflies, all symbols associated with Down syndrome awareness, according to NDSS.

This step toward inclusivity is long overdue given that the first Barbie was launched in 1959 and about 6,000 babies are born with Down syndrome in the US each year, per the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. But it's nice to see the toy aisles finally getting more diverse. This doll is a part of Barbie's Fashionista line of over 175 dolls with different body types, skin tones, varying abilities, eye colors, hair textures, and more. As the most diverse doll line on the market, Barbie plays an important role in a child’s early experiences, and we are dedicated to doing our part to counter social stigma through play.” Barbie® Introduces Its First Doll with Down Syndrome, Further Increasing Representation in the Toy Aisle The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) is the leading human rights organization for all individuals with Down syndrome. NDSS empowers individuals with Down syndrome and their families by providing resources, driving policy change, engaging with local communities, and shaping public perceptions. Founded in 1979, NDSS supports and advocates for the Down syndrome community by focusing on three key areas of programming: Resources & Support, Policy & Advocacy and Community Engagement.Within these focus areas NDSS engages in various activities, events and programs on topics that are critical to our community such as federal and state advocacy and public policy, health and wellness, education and employment. NDSS creates resources to support individuals with Down syndrome, their families and caregivers across the lifespan and hosts community events throughout the country including the National Buddy Walk® Program, the Times Square Video presentation and New York City Buddy Walk®, Racing for 3.21 for World Down Syndrome Day, Run for 3.21, and variousotherevents.Visit www.ndss.org for more information.The new doll is part of Mattel Barbie Fashionistas line, which aims to offer kids more diverse representations of beauty and fight the stigma around physical disabilities. Mattel has created a wide variety of dolls in the past. The brand has introduced dolls with a variety of eye colors, hair colors and textures, and body types. They have also launched dolls with vitiligo, wheelchair, prosthetic limb, hearing aids, etc. Mattel on Tuesday introduced its first-ever version of the Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome.

The doll is also wearing orthotics, a mobility tool that some children with Down syndrome children use to support their feet and ankles. "NDSS provided a box of orthotics to serve as real-life inspiration," the press release said.Previous Barbie Fashionistas have included a doll with a prosthetic leg, one with hearing aids, another that comes with a wheelchair and a doll with the skin condition vitiligo, which causes patches of skin to lose their pigment. The move was welcomed by charities, with Carol Boys, chief executive of the UK Down’s Syndrome Association, saying: “Children in our community will be able to play with a doll that represents them.” Mattel partnered with Ellie Goldstein, a British model with Down Syndrome to promote the doll on social media. Goldstein shared her feelings about the dolls and wrote: Mattel said the new Barbie's puff sleeved dress pattern features butterflies and yellow and blue colors, which are symbols and colors associated with Down syndrome awareness.