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Moments of hope A rainbow playsuit and a pink ramp? Wheelchair Barbie is like looking in a mirror

77 12
27.12.2023

It is mid-November and I am browsing Christmas presents online for my niece. I scroll through a sea of dolls, small bricks and future landfill until I notice her: Wheelchair Barbie. She is blonde, her long glossy hair draped down her back. Her accessories include a watch, movable joints and a bright pink ramp. She is wearing a rainbow-coloured playsuit. It is like looking in a mirror.

Growing up in the 1990s as a disabled child, I had no doll that looked like me. I could play with a dog that went to outer space or a flame-haired troll who skateboarded. But a toy with a disability was apparently beyond what any corporate executive could imagine.

Over the past decade, this has slowly changed. Go to any toy store and you’ll be likely to see shelves speckled with diversity: dolls of colour (notably, the “Barbie Fashionistas doll with wheelchair” also comes with an afro-haired option); those with Down’s syndrome; even dolls that look as if they’ve seen a carbohydrate. I believe they call this progress.

Scroll social media when such a product is launched, and you would be forgiven........

© The Guardian


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