By: Rachel Chen

On July 23rd, 2024, the official blind Barbie doll joined the toy shelves of shops. Mattel, the company that now makes Barbie dolls, partnered with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) for this project.

This new Barbie included details, such as a cane and dark glasses, similar to the ones of a blind person. The Barbie’s eyes also look slightly up and out, to resemble how the eyes of blind people look. The company designed the doll with textured clothing, a pink short-sleeved top, and a lavender ruffled skirt. This was so children who have issues with their vision could feel Barbie’s clothing.

In addition, on the packaging of blind Barbie, “Barbie” was spelled in Braille, which is a language made out of raised dots, so blind people can read using their sense of touch.

Many think the blind Barbie can help young blind children play with a toy that looks like them. Debbie Miller, from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), says, “It’s an acknowledgment that not everyone can see well, which means a lot to the blind and partially sighted community… helping children and adults with sight loss feel like they belong and are recognized.”

Lucy Edwards, a broadcaster and disability activist from Birmingham, England, says that the blind Barbie helps her feel differently about how she had lost her sight fully at seventeen. She says, “As a teenager, I felt isolated by losing my eyesight and not seeing role models like me. I was embarrassed by my cane – but knowing Barbie had a cane would have made me feel so differently about mine and helped me feel less alone on my journey to accept and embrace my blindness.”