Now a Barbie doll with Type 1 diabetes: How common is it among children?

Next time you’re at a toy store, you might spot a Barbie that looks a little different. Instead of just a trendy outfit or new hairstyle, she’s wearing a glucose monitor on her arm and an insulin pump on her waist.

Mattel has introduced its very first Barbie doll with Type 1 diabetes, as part of its inclusive Barbie Fashionistas line. The idea, the company says, is “to enable more children to see themselves reflected and encourage doll play that extends beyond a child’s lived experience.”

It may seem like a small change, but it carries a strong message—managing a medical condition doesn’t make you any less normal. And when kids see their own realities represented in something as everyday as a doll, it can make a big difference.

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So, how common is Type 1 diabetes among children? And why has this doll struck such a chord? Here’s what to know.

Type 1 diabetes in children: What it is & how common is it?

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own organs and tissues.

In this case, rough antibodies go after cells in the pancreas that make insulin, an essential hormone that helps the body turn food into energy.

As a result, the body doesn’t make enough of its own insulin, so people have to take insulin by injection or through a pump to survive.

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According to the International Diabetes Federation report in 2022, over 1.5 million children and adolescents under the age of 20 live with Type 1 diabetes globally. The condition is chronic and often diagnosed in childhood, though it can develop at any age.

In India, approximately 97,700 children under the age of 15 are estimated to have Type 1 diabetes, according to research published in the Indian J Endocrinol Metab.

Unlike Type 2 diabetes, which is more commonly linked with lifestyle and often seen in adults, T1D is not caused by diet or activity—it’s a condition kids are born with or develop early in life.

What does the Type 1 diabetes Barbie look like?

The new Type 1 Diabetes Barbie has chestnut hair and wears a visible continuous glucose monitor (CGM) on her upper arm. The device, attached with heart-shaped Barbie-pink tape, helps track her blood sugar levels in real time.

Her mobile phone, another accessory, displays an app showing her glucose readings, just like the ones children with T1D use. The doll also comes with a light blue purse, coordinated with her shoes, that holds essential supplies and snacks to manage sugar lows throughout the day.

On her CGM screen, there’s a graph displaying the blood sugar highs and lows that typically occur, while the blue polka dots on her outfit are subtle nods to the colours and symbols of diabetes awareness.

To get the details just right, Mattel partnered with Breakthrough T1D (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), a leading global organisation focused on Type 1 diabetes research and support.

Emily Mazreku, the organisation’s marketing and communications director, who also lives with T1D, worked closely with the Barbie team to ensure the doll authentically represents the lived experiences of kids with the condition.

To promote the launch, Barbie collaborated with two high-profile advocates who live with T1D, model Lila Moss and Peloton instructor Robin Arzón, who are being honoured with their own versions of the new doll.

Why having a Barbie with T1 diabetes matters

For children living with Type 1 diabetes, seeing a beloved character like Barbie managing the same condition can be incredibly empowering. It not only helps normalise their daily experiences but also shows them they’re not alone.

Dr Sian Jones, co-founder of the Toy Box Diversity Lab at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, has studied how inclusive toys can shape young minds, CNN reports.

Her research, alongside colleague Dr Clare Uytman, shows that when kids play with dolls who have physical challenges or medical conditions, they’re more likely to develop empathy and understanding toward people with disabilities in real life.

In other words, representation through play matters.

Krista Berger, senior vice president of Barbie and global head of dolls at Mattel, echoed this sentiment. She said the launch of the T1 diabetes Barbie is “an important step in our commitment to inclusivity and representation.”

“Barbie helps shape children’s early perceptions of the world,” Berger added. “By reflecting medical conditions like T1D, we ensure more kids can see themselves in the stories they imagine and the dolls they love.”

Barbie’s inclusive world

Barbie’s journey towards inclusion didn’t start with the Type 1 diabetes doll, and it certainly won’t end there.

Back in 1997, they introduced their first doll with a disability: Share-a-Smile Becky, who used a wheelchair. But the launch wasn’t perfect.

People quickly noticed that Becky’s wheelchair didn’t fit through the doors of Barbie’s Dream House, something that mirrors the kind of real-world accessibility challenges people with disabilities face every day.

Since then, Barbie’s universe has grown to include a much more diverse cast of characters. Over the years, Mattel has worked to make sure more kids see themselves in the dolls they play with.

Today, the line has dolls with more than 175 different looks, including a variety of skin tones, eye and hair colours. It includes a Barbie with behind-the-ear hearing aids, a blind doll who uses a cane and another with a prosthetic leg.

In 2022, the first deaf Barbie was released along with a Ken doll with vitiligo, an autoimmune disease that causes the skin to lose pigment. They even introduced a Black doll with natural hair texture and skin tone variations to better reflect the diversity of its audience.

With input from agencies