Barbie Fashionistas Doll # 208, Barbie Doll with Down Syndrome Wearing Floral Dress, Created in Partnership with the National Down Syndrome Society, HJT05

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The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) is the leading human rights organization for all individuals with Down syndrome. NDSS empowers individuals with Down syndrome and their families by providing resources, driving policy change, engaging with local communities, and shaping public perceptions. Founded in 1979, NDSS supports and advocates for the Down syndrome community by focusing on three key areas of programming: Resources & Support, Policy & Advocacy and Community Engagement.Within these focus areas NDSS engages in various activities, events and programs on topics that are critical to our community such as federal and state advocacy and public policy, health and wellness, education and employment. NDSS creates resources to support individuals with Down syndrome, their families and caregivers across the lifespan and hosts community events throughout the country including the National Buddy Walk® Program, the Times Square Video presentation and New York City Buddy Walk®, Racing for 3.21 for World Down Syndrome Day, Run for 3.21, and variousotherevents.Visit www.ndss.org for more information. Sculpt : This doll introduces a new face and body sculpt to be more illustrative of women with Down syndrome, including a shorter frame and a longer torso. The new face sculpt features a rounder shape, smaller ears, and a flat nasal bridge, while the eyes are slightly slanted in an almond shape. The doll’s palms even include a single line, a characteristic often associated with those with Down syndrome. 1 Fans are already responding to the news with joy, celebrating Barbie's latest inclusive addition. "I am crying right now, I never imagined they'd make a doll with leg braces, just like me! I had a cousin with Down Syndrome she passed away years ago but she would have loved this!" one user wrote. Finally, in 2016, as it faced softening sales of the doll, Mattel crafted Barbie into a more realistic depiction by making the newer dolls more inclusive and diverse in their appearance. Barbie was reintroduced in four body types and seven skin tones, with 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles. Her evolution continues with Barbie Fashionistas, which came three years later.

Children’s early experiences help shape their thoughts and perceptions – and Barbie can play an important role in this process. When a child plays with Barbie, they play out their dreams and imagine they can be anything. Doll play has an incredible purpose during key developmental stages as it may help set children on a course for success by allowing them to develop empathy fue ling social skills needed to excel as they imagine their futures with an equal playing field 2. The Barbie doll with Down syndrome allows more children to see themselves in Barbie as well as the world around them, which can help foster a sense of inclusivity. Orthotics : The Barbie Fashionista doll with Down syndrome also wears pink ankle foot orthotics (AFOs) to match her outfit and her sneakers tout a zipper detail. Some children with Down syndrome use orthotics to support their feet and ankles, and NDSS provided a box of orthotics to serve as real-life inspiration for the ones this Barbie Fashionista is wearing, matched to her outfit and the bright colors in her design. Barbie® Introduces Its First Doll with Down Syndrome, Further Increasing Representation in the Toy Aisle 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. Mattel recently has embraced a more inclusive approach to its 64-year-old iconic Barbie brand. But the company has long faced criticism for giving girls a role model of a female body type with unrealistic proportions.

British model Ellie Goldstein, who has Down syndrome, shared her feelings about the new Barbie.

Mattel has created a wide variety of dolls in the past. The brand has introduced dolls with a variety of eye colors, hair colors and textures, and body types. They have also launched dolls with vitiligo, wheelchair, prosthetic limb, hearing aids, etc. This step toward inclusivity is long overdue given that the first Barbie was launched in 1959 and about 6,000 babies are born with Down syndrome in the US each year, per the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. But it's nice to see the toy aisles finally getting more diverse. This doll is a part of Barbie's Fashionista line of over 175 dolls with different body types, skin tones, varying abilities, eye colors, hair textures, and more. 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.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., April 25 th, 2023 – Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) announced today the addition of a Barbie doll with Down syndrome, created to allow even more children to see themselves in Barbie, as well as have Barbie reflect the world around them. The Barbie doll with Down syndrome is meant to inspire all children to tell more stories through play. For decades after its debut in 1959, Barbie dolls continued to be light-skinned -- white -- slender, blonde, with a very narrow waist, ample bosom and always teetering on impossibly high heels. When I saw the doll I felt so emotional, and proud. It means a lot to me that children will be able to play with the doll and learn that everyone is different. I am proud that Barbie chose me to show the dolls to the world. Diversity is important as people need to see more people like me out there in the world and not be hidden away, Barbie will help make this happen.”Exploring the Benefits of Doll Play through Neuroscience , commissioned by Barbie in partnership with Cardiff University The doll has a face and body structure that is similar to a woman with Down syndrome. The doll’s face is rounder when compared to other Barbies, and has slanted almond-shaped eyes, smaller ears, and a flat nasal bridge. Its body has a shorter frame with a longer torso. The doll’s palms have a single line, a characteristic often associated with those with Down syndrome 1.