Barbie Has Diabetes — The Latest Barbie to Enter the Medical Landscape

Barbie, the iconic doll for the ages, has a new diagnosis: type 1 diabetes. The autoimmune disease often begins in childhood or young adulthood but can start at any age.

This rendition of Barbie wears a blue polka-dot dress (the color used for diabetes awareness) and has several pieces of medical equipment to manage her condition: a continuous glucose monitor on her arm to monitor her blood sugar, an insulin pump to administer the drug, and a blue purse to carry snacks with her in case her sugar level drops.

This isn’t the first Barbie to represent someone who is part of the medical landscape. Barbie became a registered nurse in 1961, was given a candy striper outfit in 1964, became a surgeon in 1973 and was a general practitioner in 1987. This also isn’t the first time Barbie has been on the receiving end of medical care. Brave Barbie, who made her debut in 2013, is not sold in stores but donated to children experiencing hair loss from chemotherapy and other medical treatments.

The new Barbie

Courtesy Matell

Mattel has made strides over the years to come up with Barbies who represent women from all walks of life. Barbie with diabetes is part of the Barbie Fashionista line, which features 175 dolls, including one that is blind, one with Down syndrome, and one that is hearing impaired.

Barbie is the brainchild of Ruth Handler, who released the first doll in 1959 and named it after her daughter, Barbara. When Barbara played with dolls, she would imagine them as grownups, which inspired Handler to create the well-known toy. Although Barbie’s forever age is 19, she turned 60 in 2019.​​

AARP has extensive coverage on diabetes, including information on ways to lower your blood sugar, foods that can spike your blood sugar and who needs to use a continuous glucose monitor. ​