The Barbie’s outfit is blue, too – with polka dots on a matching top and skirt set. Mattel says that this colour and design are nods to symbols for diabetes awareness.
This new doll “enables more children to see themselves reflected in Barbie”, Mattel wrote Tuesday, and is part of the company’s wider Fashionistas line committed to inclusivity. The line features Barbies with various skin tones, hair colours and textures, disabilities, body types and more. Previously-introduced Fashionistas include a Ken doll with a prosthetic leg and a Barbie with hearing aids. Mattel also introduced its first doll with Down syndrome in 2023.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 38.4 million Americans of all ages – amounting to about 11.6 per cent of the US population – were estimated to have diabetes as of 2021, the latest year with data available. About 2 million had Type 1 diabetes, including about 304,000 children and teens younger than 20.
Barbie’s new doll with Type 1 diabetes was also introduced at Breakthrough T1D’s 2025 Children’s Congress held in Washington, DC this week, where the organisation is advocating for continued federal research funding. This year, Breakthrough T1D has been particularly focused on the Special Diabetes Program, which is currently set to expire in September.
