I remember getting American Girl catalogs every few weeks in the mail when I was a little girl. I would beg my parents for a doll, and one Christmas I found Samantha waiting underneath my tree. Despite my love for turn-of-the-century girl Samantha, I always wanted one of the My American Girl dolls–the customizable ones with contemporary clothes and range of skin and hair colors. But I never saw one that looked just like me, with medium-tone skin, brown hair, and curls. Now that I’m almost 20 years old, they finally have the perfect doll for sale (you’re many years too late, AG!).
Apparently I wasn’t the only little girl searching for herself in a doll, and coming up short. Since the beginning of 2012, parents urged Mattel to make a hairless doll, and achieved victory. Not to be outdone, the American Girl company has created bald dolls as well. According to the company’s Facebook page, “American Girl has been hard at work developing a doll without hair, [as an] option for girls affected by cancer, alopecia, or any medical condition causing hair loss.”
The toys can be purchased through AG’s customer service line, because they require “special handling.” They’ll also be donated to the Children’s Hospital Association. Now many more little girls can look down at their new dolls and feel a connection.
(Photos Courtesy of American Girl and TheStir.com)