CNN: Barbie Fashionista line grows
Mattel introduces the first of the iconic toy line representing persons with Down syndrome
By Parija Kavilanz
CNN
New York, April 25—Mattel on Tuesday introduced its first-ever version of the Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome.
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.
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.
For the newest Barbie Fashionista, Mattel (MAT) said it closely worked with the National Down Syndrome Society on the doll’s shape, features, clothing, accessory and packaging to ensure that it accurately represents a person with Down syndrome. The genetic condition affects cognitive ability, causing mild to severe learning disabilities and distinctive facial characteristics. …
