The Barbie that sparked the controversy surrounding comedian Hugo Soares – who was left without an Instagram account after a joke about the doll – launched about a month ago. After dolls with vitiligo, dolls that use a wheelchair or a prosthesis, a doll with hearing aids and a doll without hair, this is the first Barbie with Down syndrome. children can see themselves in dolls.
This doll has a new face and body to be more illustrative of women with Down syndrome. The new facial structure has a more rounded shape, smaller ears and a flat bridge of the nose, while the eyes are slightly slanted in an almond shape. The palms contain a single line – a characteristic associated with people with Down syndrome.
In addition, the doll comes with a pink necklace with three chevrons facing upwards, representing the three copies of chromosome 21, and two pink foot orthoses at the ankle.
“As the most inclusive and diverse line of dolls on the market, Barbie plays an important role in children’s experiences from an early age, and we are committed to doing our part to help combat social stigma through play,” said Lisa McKnight, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Barbie & Dolls, Mattel, quoted in a press release at the launch.
“Our goal is to allow every child to see themselves in Barbie while encouraging children to play with dolls that are not like themselves. Playing with dolls outside of a child’s own experience can teach understanding and create a greater sense of belonging empathy, leading to a world of greater acceptance. We are proud to introduce Barbie doll with Down syndrome to better reflect the world around us and further our commitment to celebrating inclusion through play,” she added.
The brand worked closely with the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) – National Society of Down Syndrome, in the United States of America, to ensure that the doll truly represents people with trisomy 21.
The new Barbie, included in the Fashionistas 2023 collection, is on sale at the main points of sale in Portugal and costs € 15.99.
This is the doll that sparked the controversy surrounding comedian Hugo Soares, who lost his Instagram account after multiple complaints from families against a video of a bar performance in Porto, in which he made a joke about Down syndrome.
During one segment of the show, Hugo Soares refers to the new Barbie doll with Down syndrome, saying it wasn’t an original idea, because “the Chinese already sell defective dolls.”
Source: DN
