Barbie Fashionistas are Representing People with Disabilities

What child doesn’t enjoy playing with toys? Toys are a developmental tool to help children learn and grow. Toys help mold their minds by play, experiments, and building concepts. The Mattel doll known as Barbie is sixty years old this year.  Many girls have played with Barbie through the years.  A girl who has a disability could obviously play with Barbie dolls, but how wonderful it would be than to have a Barbie that you could relate to?

For years, the only problem with Barbie was that she usually came with one body type.  She also only had blonde hair and blue eyes. Nowadays she does come with different skin tones and hair color.  However, last month, the manufacturer of Barbie is releasing a new line of Barbie that uses a wheelchair and one has a prosthetic leg. The new Barbies will be released in June 2019.

As a child, I always searched for anything and anyone that had a disability as I did. Of course, in the early eighties, finding toys that had disabilities were next to impossible to find.  I remember looking through a magazine that catered to parents with children who have disabilities. They had an advertisement for a line of dolls with different disabilities including one in a wheelchair. Unfortunately, they had an outrageous price so I never had one.  Not until I was older, American Girl Dolls became popular.  My mom bought me one who looked like me completely with a wheelchair.  I kept it and let my daughter play with it when she was old enough.

I think it’s amazing that Mattel is making Barbies with disabilities.   Luckily, Mattel had the idea to consult a girl who has a disability in order to be authentic.  Jordan Reeves, a disability advocate, is thirteen and helped Mattel design the new line.  Reeves has a missing forearm all of her life so she helped them create a prosthetic that girls could use in their play.  Mattel also consulted a hospital and wheelchair design specialists to make Barbie a more permanent looking wheelchair. To go along with the wheelchair is a small ramp so she can have access to the Barbie Dream House.

Share a Smile Becky

As a mom, educator and someone who has cerebral palsy, I am thrilled about the new Barbies. I remember when Barbie released Share a Smile Becky with the girl in a wheelchair.  Unfortunately, it was for only a limited time and didn’t last very long. In fact, I have one but never opened it. I hope this new line lasts a bit longer.

I can just imagine how a girl would feel to see a Barbie in a wheelchair with all the rest of the Barbies. It also gives a very positive message to those without disabilities.  Children will learn that people who use wheelchairs, prosthetic devices and have other differences are beautiful too. Having a disability should be seen as a normal part of society. If children see more people with disabilities, they are least likely to discriminate or feel awkward around them.