Mattel has released its first Barbie doll made to represent an autistic person, featuring sensory-friendly clothing, articulated arms, and accessories like a fidget toy, noise-canceling headphones, and a communication tablet,

Two Tampa Bay woman who grew up loving Barbies are helping to create a whole new generation of the iconic doll<a class="excerpt-read-more" href=" More

It’s Barbie ’s world, we just live in it. And that world just keeps getting bigger—this week with Mattel’s announcement of the first-ever autistic Barbie doll, developed with guidance from the nonprofit Autistic Self Advocacy Network ( ASAN ).

The first Barbie doll hit shelves in 1959. Barbies have offered broader representations of race, body type, and careers over the years.

Developing the doll took over 18 months and was done in partnership with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a nonprofit organization that advocates for increased representation for those in the autism community.

The doll joins the Barbie Fashionistas collection, which features diverse range of skin tones, hair textures, body types, and various medical conditions and disabilities such as type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome and blindness.

Mattel partnered with Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) "to allow more children to see themselves in Barbie"