13 Doll Controversies

The Cabbage Patch Kids Snacktime Kid doll had a mechanical jaw that lacked an off switch. This caused hair to get caught and eaten.The jaw was mechanical.The mouth allowed the doll to eat fake food. Because there was no off switch, children could get their hair and fingers bitten.

Reports surfaced of little girls losing their hair roots. Parents called 911 for one girl. Emergency responders took half an hour to free the child from the doll.

Showbiz Promotions pulled the Caylee Sunshine Doll production after public backlash in 2009.Public backlash stopped the Caylee Sunshine Doll production in 2009.In 2009, the doll was intended as a tribute to Caylee Anthony, Casey Anthony's deceased daughter. Casey Anthony faced first-degree murder charges but was later found not guilty. The doll...The doll wore a shirt that said “Caylee,”.The doll does not look like the deceased two-year-old because Showbiz Promotions deemed that look too morbid. The doll played "You Are My Sunshine," a song the real Caylee sang in home videos shown on the news.

The toy company president stated they only wanted to raise awareness and funds for Caylee's murder. They then chose a more "traditional" path.

After Michael Vick went to jail for dogfighting, Showbiz Promotions made dog chew toys resembling the NFL quarterback.

The company faced a lawsuit for misleading customers.The company faced a lawsuit for misleading customers.Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum said:

Any company that intentionally misleads innocent consumers into thinking they support good causes is wrong. It is disgusting that a company would use a sad situation for personal profit.

Showbiz claimed to donate some Caylee Sunshine Doll profits to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The lawsuit claimed only $10 was given.

Toy shelves and online stores pulled CloudPets in 2018 following a major security hack.A security hack affected 800,000 people.CloudPets affected 800,000 people. The toys included an app letting kids record messages sent to their parents.

The toy company stored all this data online. Hackers took the personal information for ransom. Fear of the dolls spying on children caused the toys to stop being sold.

The DreamWorks...Trolls World TourHasbro pulled the Giggle and Sing Poppy doll in 2020 after parents criticized the doll's design.Parents criticized the doll's design.A button on the doll's stomach made it sing and talk. A second button on the doll's bottom under the skirt made it "gasp and giggle."

An online petition to remove the doll from production gathered over 150,000 signatures.

Hasbro said the button was not meant to cause trouble. They saw how some people viewed its placement as "inappropriate."

In 2015, parents worried about dolls like Hello Barbie and My Friend Cayla being hacked. They found the Hello Barbie dolls could be hacked remotely.The Hello Barbie dolls could be hacked remotely.Hackers used remote access to get private information about children.

My Friend Cayla could only be hacked up close, but the hacker made her utter adult phrases.

Parents used Reddit and Facebook in 2020 to warn others about LOL Surprise! dolls. The dolls' clothes wouldThe 'LOL Surprise! Dolls Appear In Lingerie If Placed In Cold Water' dissolves.reveal lingerie when placed in cold water. Parents claimed the toys sexualized the dolls and made them totally wrong for kids.

The toy line faced criticism before for making the dolls anatomically correct.

Parents got too excited about Cabbage Patch Kids dolls for their children during the 1983 Christmas season at the Hills department store in Charleston, WV, where 5,000 people gathered.People staged a riot.attempted to get the hard-to-find vinyl-faced dolls.

The store manager told reporters, "They knocked over the display table. People were grabbing each other, pushing and shoving. It got ugly."

This was not theThe riot involved only doll-related items.This happened in that year.

A Spanish toy company got complaints from parents after it released itsBebe Gloton included a bra-like halter designed for children to simulate breastfeeding.doll in 2009. The doll included a halter top children were supposed to wear while pretending to breastfeed it. The doll also made "suckling" sounds and needed burping after feeding.

Parents argued that breastfeeding should not be judged, but the toy was totally wrong for young girls.

A mother was shocked by her son's new words after buying him a Teletubby doll in 1998. The woman said her 3-year-old son started saying "Bite my butt" after she bought aA Teletubby doll said something like 'Bite My Butt'.The Teletubby doll said that for him.

The boy claimed the doll taught him it, saying it said the same thing when squeezed.

The toy maker claimed the doll actually said "Faster, faster" and "Slower, slower" in Cantonese.

In the early 2000s, Mattel sued artist Tim Forsythe for making photos called "Food Chain Barbie." The photos showed nude Barbies inMattel sued Tim Forsythe for creating photos showing Barbie in suggestive positions.sitting in fondue, wrapped in enchiladas, and set up in other strange scenes.

Forsythe won the 2003 court case because the judge decided the artist's work was only a parody of Barbie that showed gender roles and consumerism.

Most people recall Archie Bunker as the bigoted patriarch from the '70s sitcom.Archie Bunker's show was All in the Family.but people forget the show led to the first anatomically correct male doll.

In 1976, Ideal Toys released a product.The Joey Stivic doll exists.based on Archie's grandson from the show. The doll included a bottle and diapers. Now, the doll is a big collectible.

Fans of the American Girl dolls disliked the company's decision to remove removable underwear and replace it withSome collectors became upset when American Girl removed its dolls' underwear.that was sewn onto the dolls.

Collectors claimed the change lowered the dolls' quality and collectibility. Some said the change made dressing the dolls easier for children with special needs.

In 2009, American Girl released its first ever doll.Gwen Thompson was the first homeless American Girl doll.The storybook for the doll, Gwen Thompson, says Gwen lived with her mother in their car after her father left.

American Girl built the doll to teach tolerance and acceptance; one in fifty U.S. children is homeless.