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The new doll will include an insulin pump, a glucose monitor, and a dress featuring international symbols for diabetes awareness.
The first Barbie with type 1 diabetes.
Courtesy Mattel
A common complaint across all many patient populations is patients feeling a lack of visibility. Living with an illness is hard enough, but many people feel isolation due to a lack of understanding and education about their conditions. For example, someone living with diabetes may find that people don’t understand the condition and are uncomfortable discussing it.
As a result, many companies outside of the healthcare space have made an effort to create characters and products that directly represent common and uncommon conditions.
Mattel announced a new Barbie that will be the first ever doll in the line that represents a character living with Type 1 Diabetes.1 According to the company, there are twos goals for adding this character to the brand’s line-up: first, so that children living with the condition see themselves expressed in the line and second, so that children without diabetes get used to being exposed to people with the disease.
In a press release, Mattel’s global head of dolls and senior vice president of Barbie Krista Berger said, “Introducing a Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes marks an important step in our commitment to inclusivity and representation. Barbie helps shape children’s early perceptions of the world, and by reflecting medical conditions like T1D, we ensure more kids can see themselves in the stories they imagine and the dolls they love.”
The doll will come with the following features that show how type 1 diabetes impacts its life in Barbie’s world:
Mattel is working in partnership with Breakthrough T1D, a research and advocacy organization. Aaron J. Kowalski, PhD, CEO of Breakthrough T1D. said in the same press release, “We were thrilled when Barbie approached us to collaborate on the development of the Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes. I have lived with T1D since I was 13, and my brother since he was 3, so this partnership is deeply personal––it means the world to be part of bringing greater visibility to a condition that affects so many families. It’s an honor to work with a brand that shares our commitment to showing children that a life with type 1 diabetes can be full, vibrant, and empowering.”
To celebrate the launch of the doll, Mattel also partnered with two type 1 diabetes advocates, Robin Arzon, a peloton instructor, and Lila Moss, a model in the UK.
“After being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes a decade ago, I've found a lot of purpose in advocating for people with the condition and educating others about it because knowledge is power––especially for young minds,” said Arzón. “It’s an absolute honor to receive a Barbie doll as a part of the brand’s efforts to grow awareness and representation surrounding type 1 diabetes, so that we can help show kids that all types of challenges give us all the more reason to push forward and achieve our dreams.”
Moss added, “I am proud to use my platform to educate around type 1 diabetes and show that being different is cool. Receiving messages from people who see my patches and feel represented means everything to me. To be able to now see Barbie dolls with T1D, and to receive a Barbie doll that visibly looks like me even wearing her patches, is both surreal and special.”
Barbie® Introduces First-Ever Barbie Doll with Type 1 Diabetes to Expand Representation and Inspire More Children. Mattel. July 8, 2025. https://corporate.mattel.com/news/barbie-introduces-first-ever-barbie-doll-with-type-1-diabetes-to-expand-representation-and-inspire-more-children
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