Overview
- The doll goes on sale at a suggested price of $11.87, with availability at Walmart scheduled for March.
- Design elements include a side-shifted gaze, articulated elbows and wrists for stimming, a loose A-line dress, and flat shoes for stability.
- Each package includes a finger-clip fidget, noise-canceling headphones, and a tablet showing symbol-based Augmentative and Alternative Communication apps.
- Autism advocates welcomed the release as a meaningful step for representation, while the National Autistic Society stressed the spectrum’s diversity and the importance of authentic consultation.
- The model joins Barbie’s inclusive Fashionistas range, which features dolls with Down syndrome, visual impairment, hearing aids, prosthetic limbs, vitiligo, and Type 1 diabetes, with this design also drawing on Indian facial features to widen representation.