Overview
- The Fashionistas doll features a shifted gaze, articulated wrists and elbows for stimming, loose-fit clothing, flat shoes, headphones, a fidget, and a tablet representing an AAC device.
- The doll is on sale through Mattel’s online shop and at Target, with wider retail distribution expected at additional national chains.
- Mattel is donating more than 1,000 dolls to pediatric hospitals that serve autistic children.
- Reaction is varied within autistic communities and among parents, with praise for visibility alongside concerns about reinforcing narrow or aesthetic stereotypes.
- Some conservative accounts criticized a “pronouns” option shown on the AAC tablet, while advocates noted pronouns are a standard part-of-speech feature on communication boards.