Mattel launched Down Syndrome Barbie on Tuesday in partnership with the National Down Syndrome Society U.S.
The doll does not have the hourglass figure of traditional Barbies. Instead she has a new face and body with a shorter frame and longer torso. She wears a pink necklace that has three upward chevrons that represent the three copies of the 21st chromosome that characterize Down’s syndrome.
The Down’s syndrome Barbie is part of the Barbie Fashionistas line which also features a Barbie who uses a wheelchair, a Barbie with a hearing aid, Barbies with the skin condition vitiligo and a Barbie with a prosthetic leg, which confuses me because all Barbies have prosthetic legs. The line also has a new assortment of Ken dolls including one with a man bun.
