Hearing Aid Barbie Joins The Inclusive New Doll Range

If you are a fan of Barbie or a self-acclaimed Barbie Girl, then we’ve brought you news. The famous Barbie now has an all-inclusive new look. 

The new range of Barbie will be released in June, which will also have the first-ever Barbie with hearing aids, a Vitiligo Barbie, and more thrilling looks to appeal to all skin types and disorders.

In a press statement by Mattel’s Global Head of Barbie Dolls, Lisa McKnight, the new range will allow children “see themselves reflected.” She further stated that the new range of Barbie dolls will encourage children to play with dolls that they can relate to as the new collection celebrates inclusion.

In creating the new set of Barbies’, the company sought expert aid from Dr. Jen Richardson, a leading practitioner in educational audiology, who was able to create the Barbie with hearing aids.

According to Richardson, the ponytailed Barbie wearing a hot pink hearing aid could be a source of inspiration to those with hearing loss. “I’m beyond thrilled for my young patients to see and play with a doll who looks like them,” she said in a press release.

Other forms of adaptation of Barbie include her stereotyped body showing changes from  smaller chests to fuller-figures and even slender, less-muscled up male dolls showing the different types of body that exist.

The new range joins the changes made by the company in 2019 when they introduced Barbie in a wheelchair and a brunette doll with a prosthetic leg. Following that, the colour change came with a Black Barbie with vitiligo that made great sales. Topping that was the afro haired Black Barbie in 2021, which again made a global success, being the top five  most popular models worldwide.