Mattel introduces Barbie representing person with Down syndrome

Mattel has taken the next step toward inclusively by introducing a Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome.

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The new Barbie is part of the Fashionistas line, which includes dolls with a prosthetic leg, hearing aids, vitiligo or a wheelchair, CNN reported.

The company worked with the National Down Syndrome Society to design the doll’s shape, clothing, accessories and features to accurately depict someone with the condition.

The new Barbie has a shorter frame but a longer torso. She also has a rounder face, smaller ears, a flat nasal bridge and almond-shaped eyes, BBC News reported.

The doll comes dressed in a yellow and blue dress, colors associated with Down syndrome awareness. She also wears a pink necklace with three chevrons that point upward representing three 21st chromosomes.

According to the National Down Syndrome Society, Down syndrome is caused by having an extra partial or full 21st chromosome and can affect cognitive ability.

It can also produce several physical traits, according to the organization, including “low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes, and a single deep crease across the center of the palm – although each person with Down syndrome is a unique individual and may possess these characteristics to different degrees, or not at all.”

Down syndrome affects about one in every 772 babies born in the U.S., with about 5,100 babies born in the country each year.

“This means so much for our community, who for the first time, can play with a Barbie doll that looks like them,” Kandi Pickard said in a statement, according to CNN. “This Barbie serves as a reminder that we should never underestimate the power of representation. It is a huge step forward for inclusion and a moment that we are celebrating.”

Pickard is president and CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society.

Barbie was launched in 1959 and featured long legs, a skinny waist and long blond hair, but researchers at the University of South Australia said that the image that Barbie portrayed was rare in real life, claiming that the chance that a real woman could fit Barbie’s measurements was one in 100,000, BBC News reported.

To change the image, Mattel released Barbies in several body types in 2016, including curvy, tall and petite.

The new Barbie retails for about $11 and can be purchased from a variety of retailers found on Barbie’s website.