Mattel Introduces Their Latest Version Of Barbie In An Effort To Be More Inclusive..."Blind Barbie"

Toy company Mattel has launched the first-ever blind Barbie in its latest move to make the iconic doll more inclusive and represent more sections of society.

This Barbie carries a white and red cane with a marshmallow tip and wears sunglasses on her head to provide additional eye protection, while her eye gaze has been designed to face "slightly up and out," according to a press release shared by the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), which partnered with Mattel.

The doll's clothes have been designed using tactile fabric, such as a satiny blouse and a textured ruffle skirt, and have brightly colored hook fasteners to make swapping them more accessible, while the packaging features braille writing.

To create a doll that is both accessible and faithfully depicts individuals with sight loss, Mattel worked with several charities including the AFB and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

This is one of those headlines where I have to do a quick search to make sure I am not getting duped by the onion or babylon bee. Apparently very real. Mattel launching an effort to tap into the blind community. I saw a video of some middle aged blind woman saying how much this blind barbie means to her and how she can taste her purple skirt. That's nice. Who am I to tell someone how they should feel about a particular campaign. If Blind Barbie makes her feel seen and included in society, all the better. 

I do feel the need to point out that any Barbie can be a blind barbie. In fact, ALL Barbies ARE blind. They're fucking dolls. They don't have eyeballs. The whole point of dolls is to play pretend. You want you Barbie to feeling her way around her dream house, go do it. Who is stopping you? Take your Clifford The Big Red Dog toy to guide her around the city and stomp on any cars that come to close. Dress Ken up in some flip flops and a robe and make him into Jesus to heal the blind if you want to get nuts. Make your Barbie President of the United States if you feel like it. Limitless possibilities. The gift of your own imagination. The next Barbie should be the "use your own fucking brain" Barbie.