Mattel Inc., the renowned toy manufacturer, is set to launch a new Barbie doll designed to represent individuals with autism. This latest addition to the Barbie collection, which aims to celebrate diversity, will join previous models featuring dolls with Down syndrome, blindness, and vitiligo, as part of Mattel’s ongoing effort to create inclusive fashion dolls.

In developing the autistic Barbie, Mattel collaborated closely with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network over a period of more than 18 months. This nonprofit organization is dedicated to advocating for the rights of autistic individuals and improving their representation in media. According to a statement from Mattel, the aim was to craft a Barbie that reflects some of the unique ways autistic individuals perceive and interact with the world.

The process was challenging due to the wide spectrum of behaviors and difficulties associated with autism, which can vary significantly from person to person. Many traits of autism are also not immediately visible, explained Noor Pervez, the community engagement manager at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, who played a crucial role in the development of this Barbie prototype.

“Autism manifests in many different ways,” Pervez noted. “While it doesn’t have a singular appearance, we can highlight some of the expressions of autism.”

One such feature of the new Barbie includes eyes that are slightly averted, reflecting the tendency of some autistic individuals to avoid direct eye contact. Additionally, the doll’s articulated elbows and wrists are designed to represent stimming, hand flapping, and other gestures that autistic people might use to manage sensory input or convey excitement, as detailed by Mattel.

The development team debated whether to dress the doll in a tight or a loose-fitting outfit, Pervez said. Some autistic people wear loose clothes because they are sensitive to the feel of fabric seams, while others wear figure-hugging garments to give them a sense of where their bodies are, he said.

The team ended up choosing an A-line dress with short sleeves and a flowy skirt that provides less fabric-to-skin contact. The doll also wears flat shoes to promote stability and ease of movement, according to Mattel.

Each doll comes with a pink finger clip fidget spinner, noise-canceling headphones and a pink tablet modeled after the devices some autistic people who struggle to speak use to communicate.

The addition of the autistic doll to the Barbie Fashionistas line also became an occasion for Mattel to create a doll with facial features inspired by the company’s employees in India and mood boards reflecting a range of women with Indian backgrounds. Pervez said it was important to have the doll represent a segment of the autistic community that is generally underrepresented.

Mattel introduced its first doll with Down syndrome in 2023 and brought out a Barbie representing a person with Type 1 diabetes last summer. The Fashionistas also include a Barbie and a Ken with a prosthetic leg, and a Barbie with hearing aids, but the line also encompasses tall, petite and curvy body types and numerous hair types and skin colors.

“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,” Jamie Cygielman, Mattel’s global head of dolls, said in a statement.

The doll was expected to be available at Mattel’s online shop and at Target stores starting Monday for a suggested retail price of $11.87. Walmart stores are expected to start carrying the new Barbie in March, Mattel said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last year that the estimated prevalence of autism among 8-year-old children in the U.S. was 1 in 31. The estimate from the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network said Black, Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander children in the U.S. were more likely than white children to have a diagnosis, and the prevalence more than three times higher among boys than girls.