Mattel has launched its first Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in a bid to foster a greater sense of inclusion and empathy among children, a company vice president said on Tuesday.
The new Barbie has been designed in partnership with the global type 1 diabetes not-for-profit Breakthrough T1D.
“Introducing a Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes marks an important step in our commitment to inclusivity and representation,” said Krista Berger, senior vice president of Barbie and global head of dolls. “Barbie helps shape children’s early perceptions of the world, and by reflecting medical conditions like T1D, we ensure more kids can see themselves in the stories they imagine and the dolls they love.”
Photo: Reuters
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. It is often diagnosed in childhood, and people with the condition have to monitor their glucose levels and take insulin every day.
The new doll wears a CGM — a small device that continuously measures a person’s blood sugar — on her arm to help manage her condition.
To keep her CGM in place, she uses a pink heart-shaped medical tape along with a phone that displays an app to help track her blood sugar levels throughout the day.
She also has an insulin pump, a small, wearable medical device that allows for automated insulin dosing as needed, attached to her waist.
The doll is wearing a blue polka dot top and matching skirt inspired by global diabetes awareness symbols.
Alongside the new model, the company also launched a bespoke Lila Moss doll, complete with the CGM paraphernalia.
Moss, daughter of supermodel Kate Moss, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 12 years old.
For several years Mattel has aimed to diversify its models, particularly those of the iconic doll Barbie, after having offered for decades — barring a few exceptions — a young, lithe blonde white woman with high heels.
Since 2016 the California company notably launched “curvy,” “petite” and “tall” versions of Barbie.
Yemen’s separatist leader has vowed to keep working for an independent state in the country’s south, in his first social media post since he disappeared earlier this month after his group briefly seized swathes of territory. Aidarous al-Zubaidi’s United Arab Emirates (UAE)-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces last month captured two Yemeni provinces in an offensive that was rolled back by Saudi strikes and Riyadh’s allied forces on the ground. Al-Zubaidi then disappeared after he failed to board a flight to Riyadh for talks earlier this month, with Saudi Arabia accusing him of fleeing to Abu Dhabi, while supporters insisted he was
The Chinese Embassy in Manila yesterday said it has filed a diplomatic protest against a Philippine Coast Guard spokesman over a social media post that included cartoonish images of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela and an embassy official had been trading barbs since last week over issues concerning the disputed South China Sea. The crucial waterway, which Beijing claims historic rights to despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis, has been the site of repeated clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels. Tarriela’s Facebook post on Wednesday included a photo of him giving a
‘MOBILIZED’: While protesters countered ICE agents, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz activated the state’s National Guard to ‘support the rights of Minnesotans’ to assemble Hundreds of counterprotesters drowned out a far-right activist’s attempt to hold a small rally in support of US President Donald Trump’s latest immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday, as the governor’s office announced that National Guard troops were mobilized and ready to assist law enforcement, although not yet deployed to city streets. There have been protests every day since the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ramped up immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul by bringing in more than 2,000 federal officers. Conservative influencer Jake Lang organized an anti-Islam, anti-Somali and pro-US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
NASA on Saturday rolled out its towering Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft as it began preparations for its first crewed mission to the Moon in more than 50 years. The maneuver, which takes up to 12 hours, would allow the US space agency to begin a string of tests for the Artemis 2 mission, which could blast off as early as Feb. 6. The immense orange and white SLS rocket, and the Orion vessel were slowly wheeled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and painstakingly moved 6.5km to Launch Pad 39B. If the
RSS