Barbie And Her Toy Box Pals Go Bald For A Cause

MGA Entertainment plans to release bald Bratz and Moxie Girlz dolls in stores this summer.

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AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: Barbie is undergoing a bit of a change. Barbie dolls are best-known for their curvy figures and long blond hair. But toymaker Mattel has a bald Barbie in the works. The reason, Jane Bingham, a survivor of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and a friend launched a Facebook campaign for Beautiful and Bald Barbie. It's for kids who have cancer or lose their hair for medical reasons.

Jane Bingham joins us from Philadelphia to talk more about it. Hi there, Jane.

JANE BINGHAM: Hello.

CORNISH: So, Jane, to start, what was important to you about having a hairless Barbie? Why did you think that could help or make a difference?

BINGHAM: One of the major reasons was to reduce the stigma for women and children who have hair loss, being not accepted to be able to go out in public without something covering their head, whether it be a wig or a scarf or that sort of thing. Their beauty and their self-worth is not dependent upon their hair.

CORNISH: Why did you think Barbie in particular would help.

BINGHAM: I had read an article, where Mattel had made a one-of-a-kind bald Barbie for a little girl in New York City who had lost her hair due to chemotherapy and then thinking about Barbie as the icon of beauty in the toy industry and she's known all over the world.

CORNISH: Is the idea that it would somehow make the vision of somebody who is bald, who has suffered from hair loss, make it sort of more normal for kids who are going through this themselves or have relatives going through it?

BINGHAM: Yeah. I don't think it'll ever make it, like, really normal. But to be accepted and to be seen as not scary or strange - that's what, really, we want to show and that the children and women should not have to feel ashamed and have to cover up their heads.

CORNISH: And you're a survivor, as we mentioned, of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, so you've been through this yourself.

BINGHAM: Yes. This past summer and throughout the fall, I was bald from chemotherapy. And, you know, as an adult, it's something I could deal with. I was able to - after a while, I was able to even just go out bald without worrying about what people were going to stare at me or not because I felt such a passion about reducing this stigma and that I shouldn't be ashamed. I mean, I was going through a major fight in my life and that's almost like a symbol of the fight that I was going through is the bald head.

CORNISH: So, Mattel decided that they would make the dolls, but that they wanted to essentially donate them directly to kids suffering from hair loss to cancer wards and hospitals instead of shipping it to the stores to sell. And why weren't you satisfied with that answer?

BINGHAM: It's very honorable that they said that, you know, they don't feel comfortable making a profit on these dolls. But as of right now, they are donating them, you know, to the sickest children. Also, a big reason that I even started this is I thought of all the children who have a family member who are going through hair loss and how many children would benefit from this. And as of right now, none of those children will have that opportunity to have one of these dolls.

CORNISH: Now that Mattel has taken this step, I notice that other toy companies have jumped in. You have Bratz and Moxie Girlz. It's another line of toys that are going to come out with bald dolls. What's important about Barbie?

BINGHAM: Well, we're thrilled about MGA releasing the bald Bratz and bald Moxie line. The biggest thing about the Barbie is that she is the fashion icon of the industry. She is the symbol of beauty that people have known for 50 years. So, I think it's really important to make these dolls available on the shelves.

CORNISH: Jane Bingham and her friend Rebecca Sypin started a Facebook campaign to encourage Mattel to start selling a bald and beautiful Barbie. Thank you so much, Jane.

BINGHAM: Thank you.

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CORNISH: You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News.

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