As a female, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with Barbie as long as I can remember. We’ve all heard about her physiological impossibilities or perhaps grumbled a time or two about the expectation she sets, yet she remains a steady icon in the world of toys.  Personally, I applaud Mattel’s efforts to broaden her career horizons, yet preferred to comb her flawless locks and dress her up in ball gowns when I was still in her target audience.

So the recent buzz about a grass roots effort asking Mattel to create a bald cancer Barbie to aid children struggling with the impacts of the disease, had me intrigued. For a brand that had been targeted by many activist groups for years as somehow being an evil force against the modern woman, it must be a little jarring to suddenly be the recipient of so much attention where the outcry was for Barbie’s help to further a cause.

One visitor to an online petition commented, “I am not for promoting Barbie’s beauty but we all know that Barbie does have that effect on a child. They all believe in Barbie, she is a role model for many children all around the world. Why not make her matter even more?”

It will be interesting to see if a bald Barbie shows up on toy shelves across the country. Regardless, this movement is a compelling example of how consumers view the role of business and brands in the broader landscape of their lives. Even Barbie is no longer just a toy product with features and benefits, but instead a potentially powerful crusader for perhaps the highest-profile disease of our time.