Barbie ramps up diversity campaign with launch of hearing-impaired doll

Doll joins transgender and wheelchair-bound versions launched recently

17 August 2022 - 12:00
By staff reporter and Reuters
Barbie owner Mattel has unveiled a hearing-impaired doll as it ramps up its diversity collection.
Image: Twitter/Barbie Barbie owner Mattel has unveiled a hearing-impaired doll as it ramps up its diversity collection.

Toymaker Mattel continues to ramp up its diversity campaign, adding a hearing-impaired Barbie doll to its inclusive collection.

The doll has a hearing aid behind its ear and was launched in the UK on Tuesday, according to Daily Mail.

Other dolls recently launched include transgender and those wheelchair bound. It remains unclear if the doll will be launched worldwide.

Earlier this year, British primatologist Jane Goodall got a Barbie in her likeness, fulfilling a long-time wish of having her own doll to inspire young girls.

Mattel unveiled the new Barbie, which the toymaker says is made from recycled plastic, as part of its Inspiring Women Series, nodding to Goodall's groundbreaking studies of chimpanzees and conservation efforts.

Dressed in a khaki shirt and shorts and holding a notebook, Goodall's doll has a pair of binoculars around her neck and David Greybeard by her side, a replica of the first chimpanzee to trust the primatologist as she conducted her research at Gombe National Park, in Tanzania in east Africa.