Should Barbie, the 'Everything Girl,' suffer through cancer?

GlobalPost

In the 50 years since it was created, the Barbie fashion doll has been assailed for giving girls an unrealistic body image.

What if Barbie's body were to show signs of a very real, very sad experience that is shared by countless American men and women?

Two people affected by cancer in the U.S. have launched an increasingly popular campaign calling for a bald Barbie doll whose character will experience the effects of chemotherapy, according to the Associated Press.

Before Christmas, Rebecca Sypin and Jane Bingham, launched a Facebook page saying their mission was to see the toy maker Mattel create a Barbie doll to support children with cancer.

Bingham has lost her hair due to chemotherapy and Sypin's 12-year-old daughter has also due to a battle with leukemia, according to the AP, which said Mattel, the toy maker, did not return calls seeking comment.

More from GlobalPost: Barbie gets inked and sparks controversy

The site had by Wednesday received over 18,000 "likes" on Facebook and appeared to have spawned several imitations.

At least one Facebook page is now calling for a bald G.I, Joe.

The women say they have received form letters from the company explaining that it does not accept ideas from outside sources.

"We're not demanding that the company do anything," Sypin was quoted as saying today. "We're just hoping somebody sees this and can help us make it happen."

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