Shortly after Anja Busse was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, the 11-year-old reached out to Mattel, the parent company of the American Girl dolls, with an idea.
“I feel so different now, and my whole life has been turned around,” she wrote in her Change.org petition. “I want to have diabetic accessories for my American Girl doll so she is just like me. I just want everyone to feel good about themselves, no matter if they have something 'wrong with them.'”
After collecting more than 4,300 signatures, Busse claimed victory. American Girl unveiled a diabetes accessory kit for its iconic dolls in December, and it's proven to be a hot seller. As of late last week, the kits were on back order on American Girl's website until at least early June.
American Girl's best-known dolls fall into two categories: figures representing different periods in U.S. history and the Truly Me collection, which allows girls to customize dolls with different skin, hair and eye colors.
But as Busse noted, not all differences are visible. The diabetes care kit, which retails for $24, comes with a blood sugar monitor and lancing device, an insulin pump that can be clipped to the doll's waistband, an insulin pen, a medical bracelet, glucose tablets and other accessories.
