Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Doll Controversies, Which Ones Can You Recall?

In search of my Flower Power Christie to examine her retro 1970s fashion, Butteryfly Art Christie's (BAC) box caught my eye.  BAC reminded me of the 1999 controversy this doll line caused.  The ability to tatoo Barbie and friends was reportedly a no-no in the minds of many parents who felt the dolls were not a good example for little girls for a couple of reasons:  skimpy outfits and tattoos.   Hmmm.  Did Butterfly Art Barbie and her friends cause "inking" to become commonplace among more females in the last decade? 

Doll controversies usually create little harm for manufacturers because their product gets attention.  Because of  this particular controversy, I purchased Christie, Barbie, Teresa, and Kira!

What other doll controversies (not necessarily Barbie, but she has had a few) can you recall?  Which of these influenced your purchase of the doll?


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6 comments:

  1. Remember the pregnant Midge controversy a few years ago?Some parents just lost their minds over this! I got Happy Family Midge & Baby plus Alan & Ryan,Doctor & babies before they pulled them from the shelves! I just wish I got the grandparents. It was ridiculous. After all this was a "married" family ! Anyway after a while they did re-appear on the shelves again!
    Bonnie

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  2. Yes, I remember those. I regret not purchasing the grandparents, too. The AA version is the most expensive on the secondary market.

    dbg

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  3. I remember the controversy over Pregnant Midge. I had not even heard of her before the controversy, so when I heard, I went out and bought her, Alan and Ryan, and the grandparents.

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  4. I remember 2. The pregnant doll and family. I think I bought the doll at the height of the controversy. My good friend owned a doll store with mostly Barbies, so I didn't have any trouble buying it. If I knew then, what I know now, I would have bought all the Happy Family stuff. There hasn't been a family oriented line since that time.

    Most reent controversy with the AA Barbie Basics with the low cut dress. I thought this one was ridiculous. First of all, most moms don't understand that there is a large collector community out here and that most of these dolls are designed with collectors in mind. Secondly, the first thing most little girls do is take off the clothes when they get Barbies. Thirdly, you as a mom have the power to not buy your child a doll that you deem inappropriate. Just don't buy it!

    Sorry for my soapbox.

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  5. I remember all the above mentioned doll controversies: Pregnant Midge, et al; Oreo Barbie, and Model 10's plunging neckline dress. Now that Model 10 been given a less revealing dress, I guess I'll have to consider buying the new version or maybe another of the originals, if I can find it at or below retail.

    Vanessa, I agree, most moms do not understand that some dolls are designed for the adult doll-collecting market and, with everything else, they can choose to buy or not buy a doll if they find it offensive.

    dbg

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