Mattel to Introduce Bald Friend of Barbie

It's official! Mattel announced March 28 it will make a
doll for children experiencing hair loss, a quantity which will be
donated to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, as well as to
children's hospitals through the California Hospitals
Association and CureSearch across the country. The Southern
California toy giant describes the upcoming doll as a "friend of
Barbie," and is expected to come with wigs, hats, scarves and
other accessories. Mattel is also making a cash donation to NAAF
in conjunction with the donation of dolls.

Views: 367

Comment by Alayna's dad on March 30, 2012 at 11:17pm

This is the greatest thing they could do for girls. My daughter and her friends live there(pretend) lives thru dolls! They can go all day at it!

Comment by Storm_Uchiha on March 31, 2012 at 5:07pm

My mom was excited to hear about this...I collect dolls and she's gonna try to get me one through NAAF. I'm excited since I do have a few story characters who do have Alopecia. I just hope it's jointed.

Comment by Tallgirl on April 1, 2012 at 10:36am

Read below. I am wondering how alopecian girls will order this doll, since we do not have appointments in HOSPITALS...

Play is vital for children, especially during difficult times. We are pleased to share with our community that next year we will be producing a fashion doll, that will be a friend of Barbie, which will include wigs, hats, scarves and other fashion accessories to provide girls with a traditional fashion play experience. For those girls who choose, the wigs and head coverings can be interchanged or completely removed. We will work with our longstanding partner, the Children’s Hospital Association, to donate and distribute the dolls exclusively to children’s hospitals directly reaching girls who are most affected by hair loss. A limited number of dolls and monetary donations will also be made to CureSearch for Children’s Cancer and the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.
Through a thoughtful approach, we made the decision not to sell these dolls at retail stores, but rather get the dolls directly into the hands of children who can most benefit from the unique play experience, demonstrating Mattel’s ongoing commitment to encourage play as a respite for children in the hospital and to bring joy to children who need it most. We appreciate the conversation around this issue, and are interested to hear what you think!

Comment by Alliegator on April 2, 2012 at 11:20am

Great news!!! However, I really wish they were going to sell them in stores for kids with Alopecia. Maybe they will hear enough feedback and end up changing that.

Comment by Storm_Uchiha on April 2, 2012 at 4:29pm

Damn....That would be hard to get the dolls...Maybe someone representing NAAF should consider asking Mattel to re-think their retail descision? Because honestly it'd be hard to get one through NAAF wouldn't it?

Comment by Dominique Cleopatra on April 2, 2012 at 10:33pm

When I was a kid, with a full head of thick wavy hair, I used to rip the hair out of all my Barbie dolls and trolls ( hey, I was a child of the '80s) all I can say is that karma is a bitch ;)

Comment by Tallgirl on April 2, 2012 at 11:33pm

www.naaf.org if someone wants to check this one out while I'm at work...

Comment by De-nise on April 10, 2012 at 11:33am

found this: http://www.change.org/petitions/mattel-inc-sell-us-the-bald-friend-...

Cause "Barbie's bald friend" should be available for everyone.

Comment by Storm_Uchiha on April 10, 2012 at 9:54pm

Nothing yet on NAAF.

Comment by Tallgirl on April 10, 2012 at 11:45pm

De-nise, thanks for sending the link to the petition! I hope all parents or women so inclined will put 2 cents in on this.

I know in my youth there were tons of bald baby-dolls and china dolls, so maybe there are still bald doll options for the very young and adults who collect. I haven't ever really been in the doll market, having been a tomboy most of my early years. I just posted this for those of you who are into dolls. I collected caterpillars and polliwogs, and the occasional crickets, bees and toads.

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