Ok, so a lot of us know about some of the dolls out there that just didn’t cut it. Happy Family Midge anyone? But on doing a search for controversial dolls today I found that there were a lot of dolls out there that were pulled from the shelves that I had no idea about. So I’m going to share a few of the dolls with you that were on that list. Feel free to check out the website to see what other dolls were on the list.
Some of these dolls actually blew my mind. The first one that made me eyes bulge was the Caylee Anthony Tribute Doll. No, I am not making that up. I couldn’t even if I tried. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around this concept. A company, that made a Michael Vick Dog Chew Toy, made this doll as a tribute to poor Caylee. The doll is blonde-haired and blue-eyed, Caylee was brown-haired and brown-eyed. They say the company got a good deal on some of those big dolls you get at craft stores that resemble American Girl dolls. But the company says they didn’t want to make a doll that looked like Caylee, just a doll in her memory. The company said part of the proceeds would go to a charity, that they seemed to fail to name. Umm ok, how sad is it to make money off a poor girl’s death? I mean they know people out there cared greatly for her and if they thought money from the doll would go to a “good cause” they’d probably put out the 30 bucks to buy it. Ugh! The whole thing makes me sick! The doll is no longer for sale from the site and a search on Ebay shockingly showed nothing either. Oh and while the tribute doll wasn’t sickening enough, there’s one more gem to this doll. When you push something on her she sings. Guess what she sings. You are my sunshine. How sick is that?!? Seriously!!! It gives me chills. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, Caylee is a poor girl who went missing in Florida in the US and it caused this big uproar here. You could not look at the tv without seeing pictures of sweet Caylee. Then videos started coming out and in one video she was singing You Are My Sunshine. So this doll is just freaky and disgusting all in one go. My mom followed the whole Caylee story and it really gripped her because Caylee and I shared the same birthday. 
Ok, so sorry to start the post off with a sad one. I’m going to try to pick it up some. So the next doll that caught my interest was actually kind of funny to me. It’s Oreo Barbie. So we all know how Mattel likes to do a collab with other companies. Elmo Barbie, Kool-Aid Barbie, Little Debbie Barbie, and Oreo Barbie. No problem here right? Umm, think again. Now I understand where both sides were coming from, but umm I think customers took things a little too far with this one. So from what I understand Mattel made a Caucasian Oreo Barbie in 1994 that flew off the shelves in grocery stores. So they decided in 1997 to see if they’d get a repeat of that with an African American Oreo Barbie. Now I personally love the doll. I would have loved to have owned her. But you see, I’m not like the rest of the nation. I can see a doll for what it is, a doll promoting Oreo Cookies. I don’t see her as a racist doll promoting the stigma of an “black person acting white”. *sigh* It’s a doll people! From a worldwide famous company! Do you think they’d really be that dumb to risk losing potential customers by promoting racism?!? Wow. So this doll is highly sought after on Ebay from Barbie Collectors. No surprise there. It just shocks me how closed-minded some people can be. She’s a pretty doll, and it’s nice to know she still sought after in the secondhand market. She’s a really pretty doll and deserves a new home, or two. 
Another one of the dolls that made my eyes get big was “The Villian” Action Figure. It came out right after the Columbine High School Massacre. Now when I was first reading this I thought oh come on, what did the action figure have a gun? Big whoop. So do many other action figures. What’s the big deal? Yeah, I kept reading and I literally gasped in shock at this one. The action figure comes complete with ski mask, black trench coat, body armor, and shotgun and rifle. Really?!? This company really thought this was the right action figure to put out right after one of the biggest tragedies in history? Like, seriously? Yeah so “shockingly” enough the company only sold 15 dolls before it was pulled from the shelves. No pictures of the action figure can be found.
Now this last doll had me kind of laughing in shock. The doll is called Bebe Gloton that translates to Gluttonous Baby. Now here’s the concept of this doll. It’s a breastfeeding baby. There is a little apron/tank top kind of deal that a little girl puts on that has to big daisies on it that go over the spot where their nipples should be. The top can be pulled down just like a nursing bra, and the baby makes baby sounds and cries when it wants to be fed or wants “more milk”. Umm, I’m kind on the fence with this one. I kind of like the concept of teaching about breastfeeding, but not at that age. I mean maybe if this was a sex ed kind of deal kind of like those baby dolls that act and sound like real babies to try to scare teens from having unprotected sex. I could see them having to use this apron to make the experience a little more lifelike. But for a 6 year old girl I feel this information is a little too much too soon. I mean sure little girls see their mommies breastfeeding, and even mock it with their own dolls. I don’t know, I guess it would have to be left up to the parent in the end. I don’t think I’d personally give my daughter that doll, but I wouldn’t look down on someone who did give it to their daughter. This doll was put out by a Spanish company and if you stop to think about the target market then perhaps in the Spanish culture this doll wouldn’t be so shocking. I’m not sure on that, so don’t quote me. But it’s clear the doll isn’t targeted towards the English speaking public…meaning us here in the U S of A. Most of the negative comments are coming from North Americans, and well I won’t sugar coat it, we’re prudes! LOL!
Now there were many other dolls on the list, but some of them just were kind of boring, while informative, just boring. And more were racial. The Barbie doll I didn’t mind talking about because I feel the concept was taken out of context, but the other dolls on the list were made to be racial and yeah I don’t roll that way so I won’t post about them. But do have a look at the list and see for yourself the dolls that ruffled some feathers and let me know what you think about them.
Well I’m off to work on The House of Mouse website some, and finish working on the first photostory for the year. I’m excited to get the first one posted and hope it will get me to want to work hard to finish this story so I can move on to another one I have planned. I’ll update you on when it’s live, which should hopefully be within the week. Until next time, be good, and bye for now.
Loves ya,
Mouse
My opinions:
ReplyDeleteCaylle doll - bad taste
Oreo Barbie - like you, I can see *how* the doll was produced ... the "White" Oreo Barbie sold well so why not add a "Black" one? Oops. I'll give Mattel a little stretch on this one although it provoked a half-choke, half-laugh from me. Oh no, they didn't?! But they did. Frankly, I thought that the Simone character from the One Modern Circle line was way more offensive - racially speaking. But that shows how subjective racial "slights" can be.
Bebe Gloton strikes me as appalling - not because of the nursing aspect as in what kind of basic anatomy are they teaching little girls? Put on a "breast apron" to feed your baby? As an admitted prude in my own right - yes, yes, must confess to that LOL, I wouldn't chose this set as a way to introduce breast feeding to children, but beyond the bizarre biology, why? Breast feeding isn't widely embraced in the U.S.A. so why? Some mothers don't and won't. Some people could care less about the matter, except that they really don't want to see Mom's bare boobs exposed in public. Maybe it just slipped in by mistake?
Thanks for this interesting post.