'Diabetes Barbie' launches with medtech accessories

Toymaker Mattel has launched its latest addition to the Barbie range of dolls, the first with type 1 diabetes, which comes complete with a wearable continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and insulin pump.

The new doll launches with one-off versions celebrating two type 1 diabetes (T1D) advocates – fitness instructor Robin Arzón in the US and model Lila Moss in the UK – and was developed in collaboration with patient advocacy group Breakthrough T1D.

Mattel has a strong heritage in bringing variants of its iconic doll to foster inclusivity, with a range of races and ethnicities represented, along with deaf, blind, and Down syndrome versions.

The regular version wears a blue polka dot top and matching skirt – the colour is used for global symbols that represent diabetes awareness – and sports a CGM and pump modelled on Insulet's Omnipod 5 system and a purse that is "perfect for Barbie to carry any essentials, such as type 1 diabetes supplies or snacks, when she's on the go," according to Mattel.

Lila Moss, who is the daughter of supermodel Kate Moss, and well known for wearing her diabetes wearables even on the red carpet, said: "I am proud to use my platform to educate around type 1 diabetes and show that being different is cool."

She continued: "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."

Mattel said the new doll will enable more children to see themselves reflected in the Barbie world and will also encourage play that "extends beyond a child's own lived experience, thereby fostering a greater sense of inclusion and empathy."

Dolls have been donated to the Breakthrough T1D 2025 Children's Congress, which ran earlier this week and involved 170 children living with T1D who met with US lawmakers.

A recent survey in the US, commissioned by Insulet, showed that, while 94% of people with type 1 diabetes want to see themselves represented in culture, more than half (51%) say they rarely do.

The device maker has a mission to raise awareness of T1D in creative ways, and recently published a custom comic strip in association with Marvel that featured a superhero with the disease called Dyasonic.

In association with the launch of the T1D Barbie, Mattel's UK subsidiary is donating £20,000 to Breakthrough T1D, with Insulet matching that amount.