Mattel, Inc. Introduces First-Ever Barbie Doll with Type 1 Diabetes to Expand Representation and Inspire More Children

Published: 2025-07-08 17:20:44 ET MAT

Published on 07/08/2025 at 17:20

Mattel, Inc. announced that Barbie®? is debuting the first Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes (T1D). This addition to the line enables more children to see themselves reflected in Barbie and encourages doll play that extends beyond a child's own lived experience, thereby fostering a greater sense of inclusion and empathy - all pillars of the Barbie brand's mission.

To ensure the doll design truly captures the community, Barbie partnered with Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF), the leading global type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization committed to accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat type 1 diabetes and its complications. T1D is a chronic autoimmune condition that causes the pancreas to make very little insulin or none at all, leading to dependence on insulin therapy and the risk of short and or long-term complications. T1D worked closely with Breakthrough T1D to accurately reflect the medical equipment those with this condition may utilize and the doll's look, all the way down to the dress pattern: Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM): The doll wear a CGM on her arm to help manage her type 1 diabetes.

CGMs are small, wearable devices that continuously measure a person's blood-sugar levels. To be able to now see Barbie dolls with T1D, and to receive a Barbie doll that visibly looks like me even wearing her patents, is both conceptual and special." The Barbie Fashionistas line features more than 175 looks across various skin tones, eye colors, hair colors and textures, body types, disabilities, and fashion styles, including a Blind Barbie doll, a Barbie doll with Down Syndrome, and a Barbie doll with Hearing Aids, among others. In 2020, Barbie kicked off a multi-year study with researchers at Cardiff University on the short-term and long-term benefits of doll play.

It has been found that doll play serves an incredible purpose during key developmental stages, as it may help set children on a course for success by fostering empathy and developing social skills needed to excel, all while thinking their futures on an equal playing field. The 2025 Barbie Fashionistas dolls commit to a minimum of 50% ISCC-Certified bio-circular plastic (Mass Balance Approach), with all boxes made from FSC-certified materials. By incorporating ISCC-certified plastic into these toys, content, consumer products, digital and live experiences.

The products are sold in collaboration with the world's leading retail and ecommerce companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in the world.