Six decades ago Barbie appeared on the shelves of children's stores, as a perfect doll! While in recent years, a more beautiful and comprehensive approach has been noticed, as it is turning its eyes to the real world and aims for every child to feel represented. For this, a blind Barbie doll was created for the first time.
The British company "Mattel" announced that the doll has gone on sale and is designed to make children with eye damage, or blind, to feel more represented in society. In a statement, Krista Berger, vice president of Barbie, said: “We know that Barbie is more than a doll; it represents self-expression and creates a sense of belonging".
The company has worked closely with the American Foundation for the Blind to ensure that everything in the created doll is suitable for people who are blind or have problems in the eye area. The doll has a kind of curtain on the eyes, which reflects the blur in the vision.
She is dressed in a pink blouse and a purple skirt, and carries a stick to orient herself to the objects she may encounter on the street.
Lucy Edwards, a blind activist, is also the image of the campaign. For her, this doll is everything.
“As a teenager, I felt isolated as I was losing my sight and didn't see other models like me. I was ashamed of my stick. But this Barbie has a stick and I now feel different and less alone in accepting my blindness," she said.
In Great Britain, the new Barbie doll is a new find and much embraced.
"Barbie is about joy, discovery and understanding the world through play, and it's fantastic to think that children with visual impairments can play with a Barbie that looks just like them," said Debbie Miller, director of customer advice and support. .
Before the blind Barbie, "Mattel" has also created a colored Barbie doll with down syndrome. In 2019, the company introduced 176 different types of dolls, with 9 different body types, 35 different skin tones and 94 different hair styles. Also, there are dolls in wheelchairs etc. In 2022, it also introduced the first hearing-impaired doll, as well as a version of Ken with vertiligo, an autoimmune disease that causes pigment loss in various areas of the body.
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