Tears As Little Girl in Wheelchair Finally Sees a Barbie Who Looks Like Her - Newsweek

A 10-year-old girl has melted the hearts of internet users for her reaction to finding a Barbie who looks like her.

In the video, Dallas Płaczek, who uses a wheelchair, reacts with pure joy upon spotting a Barbie in a wheelchair, complete with a service dog, during a family trip to Target.

"During a lot of shopping trips, we check the Barbie aisle to see if they have any new Barbies with wheelchairs," Mom Katrina Płaczek told Newsweek. She added that this was the first time they had seen a wheelchair Barbie with a service dog.

Posted on the account @discover_with_dallas, the clip has gained almost 5 million views, and sees Dallas' reaction in real time—a huge smile, followed by the sweetest request for her mom: "Can we get it?"

Płaczek said these moments are incredibly meaningful to her 10-year-old daughter. "Seeing a Barbie in a wheelchair lights up Dallas' day! It never fails that, whenever she sees a toy with a wheelchair, she will have this jaw-dropping reaction, followed by the biggest smile because she loves seeing herself represented in toys she loves," the 37-year-old added.

The heartwarming video has also clocked up over 6,000 comments and counting. The most-liked comment came from user @atrien who, as a 50-year-old man, had been reduced to tears after seeing Dallas' reaction.

A 38-year-old woman shared how she saw a Barbie wearing a hearing aid. "Of course I bought it, thinking about how happy a 7-year-old me, just outfitted with her first hearing aids, would have been with this Barbie. I'm so happy that kids with disabilities today have this representation," she commented.

"People with disabilities make up 15% of the population. That's roughly 1 billion people that go underrepresented, and discriminated against. This is beautiful to see," another user wrote.

This was not lost on Płaczek who wrote in her caption: "Representation matters so much." For Dallas, seeing a Barbie in a wheelchair means much more than finding a new toy—it is about feeling seen and understood in a world where representation for children with disabilities is often limited.

"Representation is so important, not just for the people being represented, but also the people that are not represented," Płaczek said.

"For the minority group being represented, like the disability community my daughter belongs to, representation makes her feel like she belongs; like she is seen, too. And for nondisabled children, it's important to see this representation because it normalizes disability and breaks down stereotypes," she added.

Daniella Gray is a Newsweek Family & Parenting Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on family dynamics, childhood development, parenting styles, U.S. education and current trends in family and parenting practices. She has covered breaking and original news on topics such as family relationships, national education schemes and parenting hacks, while securing exclusives with high-profile celebrity moms, including Ayda Field-Williams and Ella Mills. Daniella joined Newsweek in May 2024 and had previously worked at parenting website goodto.com. She holds a Print Journalism BA Hons Degree and an NCTJ Diploma in Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. You can get in touch with Daniella by emailing [email protected].

Daniella Gray is a Newsweek Family & Parenting Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on family dynamics, childhood ...Read more