Barbie dolls wearing hearing aids released ... "Diversity in toys"

Barbie doll maker Martell releases Barbie dolls with hearing aids as part of an effort to increase diversity and inclusiveness.

According to CNN on May 11th (local time), Martell said, "More children will be able to play with dolls similar to themselves," and announced that they will release Barbie dolls with hearing aids in June. This is the first doll with a hearing loss in the 63-year history of Barbie dolls.

Martell said he was consulted by audiology authority Dr. Jen Richardson to make a doll hearing aid. Dr. Richardson said, "It's a lot of fun to think that a child patient visiting me will be able to have a doll similar to him."

It is said that thin male dolls with less muscle mass and female dolls with less body flexion are also planned to be released.

Martell has recently made many attempts to ensure diversity. In 2019, a wheelchair-riding doll and a doll wearing a prosthesis were released to become Hot Topic, and the black doll with vitiligo released in 2020 became so popular that it was ranked in the top 5 bestsellers in 2020.