Barbie dolls recently have a new look: Barbie wears a hearing aid. Earlier this year, Mattel unveil Educator Lisa McKnight and Dr. Jen Richardson, Global Head of Barbie at Mattel, are on a mission to give kids the power of representation. Barbie’s new looks feature behind the ear hearing aids, a Barbie with a prosthetic leg, and a Ken doll with vitiligo. Through accurate reflection of a doll, these inspiring women hope to make a difference in young patients’ lives by introducing new dolls with a range of features. Let’s explore how they plan to make this dream a reality!
Barbie Dolls Get a Makeover – Barbie Wears a Hearing Aid
Lisa McKnight, Mattel’s Global Head of Barbie dolls, revealed the new Barbie in a press release in May 2022. She recently brought attention to celebrate the importance of inclusion and created the first doll to come with its own hot pink hearing aid. The purpose of this is to help children with hearing loss feel included and accepted in society. This was followed by the creation of a prosthetic limb for another one of her dolls. With both features being incredibly unique additions to the world of fashion dolls, Lisa hopes that it will open up an opportunity for discussion around these topics among families and friends alike.
Hearing Aids Make Their Barbie Debut
Dr. Jen Richardson, a leading practitioner in educational audiology, also had dreams about creating an inclusive doll with hearing loss advocacy in mind. As an audiologist, I love seeing that Mattel consulted an educational audiologist was able to provide insight as they created the first Barbie with hearing aids. It can encourage play with dolls that are diverse, and when these differences are reflected in a doll, it can make a real difference. It’s brought attention to hearing loss advocacy it’s inspiring to see!
Fashionista Dolls Paved the Way
After two years of research and development, Mattel launched the Fashionistas line which includes Barbies with different skin tones, eye colors, hair colors, and body types—the most diverse doll line yet. The fashionista line has popular models worldwide, and it’s great for young patients to see diversity in a Barbie doll. This new line is truly revolutionary as it brings much greater appreciation of the diversity of people while still keeping true to what made Barbie iconic—fun styles and fashion!
The New Barbie Represents Diversity
The diversity kids see reflected in a doll in this new collection is a great first step to emphasize the importance of inclusion. Hopefully the Barbie fashionistas will inspire the makers of other dolls so that kids see a true reflection of diversity in these dolls. It’s a small step for those who experience hearing loss reflected in this toy. While there’s still more to be done, it’s a big step forward for inclusion.
Creatable World Dolls Offer More Possibilities
Additionally, Mattel recently launched a new line called ‘Creatable World’ where children can choose from six different models that can be customized further based on their style preference including clothing options like hoodies or skirts as well as hair color and length options such as bald heads or long blonde locks. With this launch comes an even more inclusive set-up where customers can create any type of doll they want. This new line, along with the other inclusive dolls from Mattel offer a range of looks for their dolls, including different body shapes, a doll with vitiligo, and even a doll with a prosthetic.
Conclusion:
It’s clear that Mattel has taken large strides in recent years towards making their products more inclusive through accurate reflection of people from all walks of life—including those with hearing loss or prosthetic limbs. From Barbies with hearing aids to Ken Doll man buns – there is something for everyone! We are so excited about what the future holds when it comes to seeing diverse representation across all industries—especially when it comes down to kids having access to toys like these. We cannot wait to see what Mattel will come up with next!
Thanks for visiting our website. Find out more in the about me section.
