Mattel has just unveiled its first model of Barbie equipped with hearing aids behind the ear. The toy was created in collaboration with Rose Ayling-Ellis, a deaf British actress from birth, reports TF1. The objective of this new Barbie is to speak to all children, even those who are victims of a disability on a daily basis.
“It’s so important for children to be able to see themselves represented in the toys they play with,” said Rose Ayling-Ellis in an interview with the BBC. She also revealed an anecdote about her childhood: “When I was little, I drew hearing aids on my Barbie dolls so that they looked like me”.
Always more inclusive
Rose Ayling-Ellis is an actress from United Kingdom, who stars in the popular soap opera EastEnders. The young woman found success at the age of 27, winning the 19th season of the dance competition “Strictly Come Dancing” last December. Deaf from birth and communicating through sign language, the actress had to work hard to learn the show’s choreographies and perform them perfectly on stage. These performances earned him great sympathy from the Anglo-Saxon public.
After unveiling the first transgender doll a few months ago, Mattel continues its campaign focused on inclusion. The brand is no longer at its first attempt, since it has already imagined a Barbie doll model in a wheelchair, another with a prosthetic leg and a model of Ken suffering from vitiligo. The company wants to be inclusive, helping kids feel good about themselves through their toys.