This Barbie is autistic. Some parents love her, but others say Mattel missed the mark

Barbie is a big deal, both as an icon and an empire. And since the world's most famous doll hit the market in 1959, she has been revamped and recreated hundreds of times to represent women of different styles, races, professions and abilities — and has made its creator billions of dollars.

But a Barbie doll released this week has sparked an important discussion about what representation looks like when it comes in plastic form.

Toymaker Mattel unveiled its autistic Barbie on Monday, with an array of features that are meant to depict visual characteristics and accommodation accessories attributed to people on autism disorder spectrum — all of which were decided on after extensive consultations with the Autism Self Advocacy Network.

Children diagnosed with autism make up a small percentage of the population — just two per cent in this country, according to available data from Statistics Canada.

And there aren't many widely available toys on the market for children — or adults who are kids at heart — to point to and see themselves and their traits materialized.

It's "so important and such a cultural moment" for people like Vancouver Island-based social media influencer Katherine L'Etang, the mother of two autistic children who was diagnosed herself later in life.

The 34-year-old is not alone in celebrating the arrival of a doll that shares similarities to her and her young daughter. But many others feel that Mattel missed the mark and that an autistic Barbie could serve to further stereotypes and misconceptions about a disability that is often invisible.

L'Etang shared a video on her Instagram account showing the excitement in her household when she presented the new Barbie to her six-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son.

It's not just because the doll was designed with traits exhibited by some — but not all — autistic people in mind, but the very fact that the word "autistic" is right there on the box "feels like being seen for the first time," she said, holding up her own autistic Barbie doll.

L'Etang, who is also the author of the upcoming book Actually, I'm Autistic, has a paid partnership with Mattel for the doll's release, but she was not involved in its development.

She told CBC News she has spoken with other parents about how the doll could be used to help have conversations with children about how there's a name for what they're experiencing, using a physical representation of why they may not like tight clothes or struggle with noisy environments.

But those depictions are exactly why some autistic people and parents of autistic children aren't sold on buying this particular Barbie.

Comments on the Autism Self Advocacy Network's Facebook page were mixed, with some suggesting that Mattel relied too heavily on having the Barbie "look" autistic and presenting a one-size-fits-all doll.

"You cannot tell by looking at someone whether they are autistic," said Julie M. Green of Kingston, Ont. "In fact, you know, any Barbie could be autistic Barbie."