Campaign for Mattel to produce bald Barbie growing

Mattel is being urged to mass produce a bald Barbie in order to make girls suffering from hair loss feel more attractive and to help children cope with hair loss among friends and relatives.

A Facebook campaign designed to encourage Mattel to produce the bald version of the popular doll now has about 6,000 "likes" on its page. The page states that such a Barbie would benefit girls suffering from hair loss due to cancer treatments, alopecia (anautoimmune disease causing hair loss) or trichotillomania (hair loss from pulling or twisting), as well as those who know a female experiencing hair loss. "There's so much emphasis, especially on little girls, on their hair and how they (cancer kids) look," news.com.au quoted Tracey Kidd, whose four-year-old daughter Ruby is being treated for cancer in Australia, as saying. "It's important for them to feel good, especially in hospital." Cancer Council Queensland psychologist Samantha Clutton said such a doll could help girls who had lost their hair feel more beautiful. "Our daughter is bald and very beautiful.....this is a great idea," posted Wayne 'n' Angela Cobler on the Beautiful and Bald Barbie! Facebook page. Last year Mattel made a one-of-a-kind Barbie with no hair for a four-year-old girl in the US who had lost her hair due to cancer treatment. A Change.org petition is now online to urge Mattel to mass produce a bald Barbie. A Bald GI Joe Movement page has also been set up on Facebook.