Mattel Just Unveiled Their First Autistic Barbie Doll & Her Accessories Are Perfection

Barbies with Type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome, and blindness have all hit shelves in recent years as the doll’s parent company, Mattel, strives to add more and more inclusive toys to their iconic Barbie lineup. And to start off 2026, Mattel just unveiled their first-ever autistic Barbie doll, designed in collaboration with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN).

In a press release revealing the doll, Mattel said she was developed over an 18-month period “with guidance from the autistic community to represent common ways autistic people may experience, process, and communicate about the world around them.” The brand worked with the ASAN, a non-profit disability rights organization run by and for autistic people. Because the autism spectrum is wide and includes a variety of experiences, the doll has a few unique features and accessories to create the most authentic representation possible.

This Barbie has articulated wrists and elbows, “enabling stimming, hand flapping, and other hand gestures that some members of the autistic community use to process sensory information or express excitement,” says the press release. Her gaze is shifted slightly to the side to reflect how some people with autism may avoid eye contact.

And because no Barbie is complete without the right accessories, this doll comes with some important ones: a pink fidget spinner (yes, it really spins) to use for stress reduction and focus, noise-canceling headphones to reduce her sensory overload, and a tablet with symbol-based Augmentative and Alternative Communication apps (AAC) on its screen to help her communicate. Even her outfit was made with attention to detail, featuring a loose-fitting dress that minimizes skin-to-fabric contact and flat-soled shoes to promote stability.

This new Barbie is part of the Barbie Fashionistas line, which offers dolls in a wide array of skin tones, eye shapes and colors, hair textures, body types, and other differences — all designed to help children see themselves in their Barbies.

As part of the launch, Mattel also teamed up with advocates within the autistic community, like mother-daughter duo Precious and Mikko Mirage, creative entrepreneur Madison Marilla, and fashion designer and visual artist Aarushi Pratap, to document their reactions to seeing the new Barbie for the first time. (Fair warning, the video is really beautiful and I may have teared up.)

“As proud members of the autistic community, our ASAN team was thrilled to help create the first-ever autistic Barbie doll. It is so important for young autistic people to see authentic, joyful representations of themselves, and that’s exactly what this doll is,” said Colin Killick, executive director of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), in a press release. “Partnering with Barbie allowed us to share insights and guidance throughout the design process to ensure the doll fully represents and celebrates the autistic community, including the tools that help us be independent. We’re honored to see this milestone come to life, and we will keep pushing for more representation like this that supports our community in dreaming big and living proud.”

The new autistic Barbie doll is available now on Mattel’s website and at major retailers nationwide.