Mattel debuted its first-ever Barbie doll to have Down syndrome as part of its Barbie Fashionistas collection, a line of dolls focused on representation.
Mattel announced that the doll, which has features typically seen in people with Down syndrome, came in partnership with the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), which describes itself as “the leading human rights organization for all individuals with Down syndrome.” Kayla McKeon, a spokesperson for NDSS, told Good Morning America that they wanted the doll to “showcase the ability of somebody with Down syndrome.”
“When I was talking to Barbie about her design, I thought it is incredible and it’s definitely going to be a best-seller today,” McKeon said. “I cannot wait to see my friends and my peers have a doll that looks just like me.”
Kandi Pickard, president and CEO of the NDSS, likewise told GMA that the Down syndrome community has “been asking for a Barbie with Down syndrome, and Mattel listened, and we feel represented in our community.
“Whether you have Down syndrome, you know somebody with Down syndrome or this is the first time you’ve heard of Down syndrome, this Barbie is for you,” said Pickard.
As Breitbart News reported last year, the Barbie Fashionista line also includes dolls with “hearing aids, one with a prosthetic leg, as well as a Ken doll with the skin condition Vitiligo.”
“The Fashionista line began including dolls featuring disabilities in 2019 when the company introduced several Barbies in wheelchairs,” noted the report.
“The line began including dolls with several skin tones, hair styles, and even heights, to represent a more diverse line of body types and the like. The line initially included eight body types, 35 skin tones, and 94 hairstyles.”
Down syndrome children have been increasingly aborted in the womb over the past decade in both Europe and the United States. In 2006, Denmark had just four babies born with Down syndrome. In Iceland, abortion of babies with Down syndrome has reached nearly 100 percent. France also banned a television commercial featuring children with Down syndrome because it upset mothers who previously aborted such children.
Some states have stepped up efforts to protect them, such as Ohio, which passed the Ohio Right to Life’s Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Act in 2017.
In 2018, Gerber selected its first-ever baby with Down syndrome as the winner of its annual Gerber “Spokesbaby” contest.
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed on Tubi, Google Play, YouTube Movies, or VIMEO On Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
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