On the heels of Mattel's bald Barbie doll, American Girl is now releasing dolls geared toward children suffering from hair loss.
The company announced the new dolls last week in a post on the American Girl Facebook page:
For more than a year, American Girl has been hard at work developing a doll without hair option for girls affected by cancer, alopecia, or any medical condition causing hair loss. Debuting today as part of the My American Girl line, the new dolls provide even more possibilities for a girl to create a friend that’s as unique as she is.
According to the company's online store, the dolls are available in five skin tones.
And for those parents who've already splurged on the original American Girl doll, the company is also offering to switch the original doll's head for a hairless head, according to The Stir.
The introduction of hairless American Girl dolls could be partially the result of a social media campaign spearheaded by a Tennessee teen.
Kayla Brooks, 13, told WKRN she gathered 2,000 signatures, made phone calls and led a fierce letter writing campaign to American Girl in support of the bald doll.
The concept for bald dolls first emerged earlier this year when parents took to Facebook and Change.org to lobby Mattel to create a doll to help children suffering from hair loss feel better about themselves.
American Girl announced the company also plans to donate many of the dolls to the Children's Hospital Association.