New “bald” friend of Barbie causes controversy

U.S. toymaker Mattel created a “bald” friend of Barbie doll named Ella and donated a limited quantity of the dolls to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF).

However, the bald doll has created some controversy in the alopecia community because Ella is packaged with a wig on.

Some feel that it is not a real representation of a person with alopecia and would have preferred that the doll was packaged bald with perhaps a wig included as a fashion accessory.

NAAF states it was not involved in the development or packaging of the Ella doll and that Mattel made the determination that Ella would be wearing her wig in the packaging.

What do you think of Mattel’s decision?

NAAF is making its supply of the Ella dolls available on a first-come first-served basis to children with alopecia ages 3-17. You can apply at www.naaf.org, as Ella is not available in stores.

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Comment by JeffreySF on February 6, 2013 at 12:05am

My personal opinion is that Ella should be packaged without the wig on.
Why? I saw Ella and the first thing I thought was it doesn't look like alopecia to me. What's the point Mattel is going with here?

Comment by kittspin1 on February 6, 2013 at 12:01am

well i think that yes it should have been packaged without it's wig, but simply so that children could see that it was bald like they may or may not be, before opening it and to make it obvious for her intended purpose, to show little girls that even barbie can get what they have, I know that for my daughter i would want her to be able to tell what she was getting...she loves her baby dolls and they are all bald not on purpose though it just happened that way! and she loves babies right now!

Comment by Craig on February 5, 2013 at 11:46pm

Hmmmm, tough one. But how many people on alopecia world have most of their pics with a wig on? It would be hypocritical for many people to complain about the doll.

Comment by Jana on February 5, 2013 at 11:43pm
Ella is for children with cancer too, is she not?

I think it is dangerous to say that there is a "real" representation of hair loss, from either alopecia or cancer treatment. There are simply choices in how we individually represent ourselves.

That said if Mattel did not consult with NAAF, one wonders if they consulted with community at all, or simply responded in a limited fashion to the demand for this doll.

There is certainly a politic to the bald barbie, not the least of which is that she is not for sale in stores. Many children will not get to enjoy an Ella. But the excited posts I have seen to date on social media, far outweigh this politic. : )

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