Autistic Barbie has been launched The first-ever autistic Barbie doll has been unveiled by toy company Mattel, garnering widespread reaction online. The doll – which comes with shifted eye gaze, noise-cancelling headphones and a fidget spinner – has been created with guidance from the autistic community to represent common ways autistic people may experience, process, and communicate about the world around them, Mattel said. Other features include elbow and wrist articulation, “enabling stimming, hand flapping, and other hand gestures that some members of the autistic community use to process sensory information or express excitement”, a pink tablet and sensory-sensitive clothes. The doll forms part of the Barbie Fashionistas collection , which features a diverse range of skin tones, hair textures, body types, and various medical conditions and disabilities. “Barbie has always strived to reflect the world kids see and the possibilities they imagine, and we’re proud to introduce our first autistic Barbie as part of that ongoing work,” said Jamie Cygielman, global head of dolls at Mattel. “The doll, designed with guidance from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, helps to expand what inclusion looks like in the toy aisle and beyond because every child deserves to see themselves in Barbie.” Autistic Barbie garnered mostly positive reaction online On Reddit’s r/autism thread , people have been discussing the new doll – and most responded positively to it. One Redditor said: “I think she’s amazing as an autistic girl that loves dolls, I love her. “With that being said a lot of Autistic people in the doll community are very unhappy with the doll, because being Autistic is not how you look, it’s who you are.” The post sparked plenty of conversation – and most agreed that the representation here matters. “Not sure what there is to be mad about here,” replied another user. “Of course autism does not have a ‘look’, thats not the point of the doll? The point is having items that an autistic child would identify with...” “I like this? I think it’s nice to see representation of autistic girls and women,” added another commenter. Responding to the criticism that “being autistic is not how you look”, another said: “I like it a lot, honestly. To me, it doesn’t imply that ‘autism is in how you look’, I’d think it’s just a Barbie who’s equipped with the tools she needs, just like a career Barbie is equipped with the tools they need, y’know?” But not everyone was impressed with the launch. On X, writer Jean Hatchet said: “Not a parody. Mattel in a quest for ‘doll diversity’ have made a cross-eyed, flappy hands ‘autistic’ Barbie.” Another X user branded it “a lot of nonsense” . The doll was made in collaboration with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN). Mattel said the Barbie design team made intentional design choices for the autistic Barbie doll to authentically reflect some experiences individuals on the autism spectrum may relate to. “As proud members of the autistic community, our ASAN team was thrilled to help create the first-ever autistic Barbie doll,” said Colin Killick, executive director or ASAN. “It is so important for young autistic people to see authentic, joyful representations of themselves, and that’s exactly what this doll is.” Related... I’m The Mom Of 2 Autistic Kids — And This TikTok Trend Has Me Horrified The Rudest Things People Say To Parents Of Autistic Kids 12 Things Never To Say To Parents Of Autistic Kids