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MoneyWatch

Mattel debuts first Barbie with hearing aids

By Megan Cerullo

Updated on: May 13, 2022 / 7:44 AM / MoneyWatch

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Mattel, maker of Barbie, has unveiled its first doll that uses
hearing aids so that more children can "see themselves reflected in
the product," the company said in a statement Wednesday. 

The doll is part of the toy company's diverse 2022 Fashionistas line,
and will be available to the public beginning in June. 

The Barbie doll, first unveiled in March 1959, now comes in more than
175 looks, or styles, featuring different body types, skin tones,
hairstyles and textures, and disabilities.

Other dolls in the new Fashionistas collection include a Ken doll
with vitiligo, a condition in which the skin loses its pigment cells,
causing it to appear blotchy. The line also includes a doll with a
prosthetic leg, a Barbie who uses a wheelchair, and male dolls that
are less muscular than the original Ken doll. 

we-are-barbie-key-art-final.jpg Barbie's new line of dolls is its
most diverse and inclusive to-date. Mattel

The new batch of dolls is the company's "most diverse and inclusive
yet," a company spokesperson said in a statement. 

"It's important for kids to see themselves reflected in the product
and to encourage play with dolls that don't resemble them to help
them understand and celebrate the importance of inclusion," said Lisa
McKnight, Mattel's global head of Barbie Dolls. 

Mattel consulted with medical experts to ensure it accurately
represented the doll's behind-the-ear hearing devices. 

It enlisted support from Dr. Jen Richardson, an expert in the field
of educational audiology. 

"As an educational audiologist with over 18 years of experience
working in hearing loss advocacy, it's inspiring to see those who
experience hearing loss reflected in a doll," Richardson said. "I'm
beyond thrilled for my young patients to see and play with a doll who
looks like them."

In 2021, Barbie debuted a doll in the likeness of one of the Oxford/
AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine creators, Professor Sarah Gilbert. 

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First published on May 12, 2022 / 5:24 PM

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