The campaign hopes to show girls who've lost their hair due to cancer treatments, alopecia or trichotillomania that bald can beautiful. The page has garnered nearly 40,000 Likes, mostly in the past few days.
The Facebook page, "Beautiful and Bald Barbie! Let's see if we can get it made," was launched three weeks ago by friends Jane Bingham and Beckie Sypin, based on a status update by Bingham proposing a bald Barbie. The Page explains:
We would like to see a Beautiful and Bald Barbie made to help young girls who suffer from hair loss due to cancer treatments, Alopecia or Trichotillomania. Also, for young girls who are having trouble coping with their mother's hair loss from chemo. Many children have some difficulty accepting their mother, sister, aunt, grandparent or friend going from a long haired to a bald.
Sypin told Mashable they had only hoped for a couple hundred page views and are thrilled by the overwhelming response.
"There's some stuff on the market, like baby dolls, but there's nothing like older kids. There's no fashion doll." Sypin says, explaining the need for a bald doll.
The Page's administrators have contacted Mattel with their proposal, and received a form responses that the company does not take unsolicited ideas from outside sources. But Sypin is undaunted, and says the team's efforts will not stop there.
"Many other companies make similar products, so we'd be happy to see any of them create this doll," Sypin says.
The Facebook Page has become a community for women with hair loss. Members post photos of themselves, expressing pride in their bald beauty.