Free Republic

One of the world's most famous children's toys, Barbie, has been given a makeover - wearing a burkha. Wearing the traditional Islamic dress, the iconic doll is going undercover for a charity auction in connection with Sotheby's for Save The Children. More than 500 Barbies went on show yesterday at the Salone dei Cinquecento, in Florence, Italy. Makers Mattel are backing the exhibition which is the work of Italian designer Eliana Lorena. The auction is part of Barbie celebrations for her 50th anniversary this year. The UK's biggest Barbie fan Angela Ellis, 35, has a collection of more than 250...

Stiletto Maker Louboutin Re-Designing Feet Of Fashion Icon Doll; New Yorkers Let Out Collective 'Are You Serious? A French shoe designer is being called on the carpet for a comment he made calling Barbie fat -- specifically her ankles. The iconic, incredible Barbie is now a bigger fashion symbol than ever. In fact, some in the fashion world seem to think she's too big. Stiletto maker Christian Louboutin is re-designing a fashion Barbie set to come out next year, and according to Women's Wear Daily, found her ankles a bit too fat for his taste, so he re-shaped the doll's...

Coming soon: a 6-inch plastic doll of Michelle Obama for $12.99, being billed as an "action figure." Sculptor Jason Feinberg of Brooklyn, N.Y., who's behind the dolls, admits the term "action figure" is used loosely. The first lady, after all, is featured in nothing more lethal than her trademark sleeveless dresses (and enviable biceps). Buyers may choose from among the purple dress she had on when the Obamas shared their campaign "fist bump," the red-and-black number from election night in Grant Park, or the black-and-white floral frock she favored for her appearance on "The View." Feinberg, founder and president of...

First Lady Michelle Obama is known for her toned arms and fashion sense. So it was inevitable that an 'action figure' doll showing off her trademark bare arms would hit the market. A US toymaker has released a 6in doll that is expected to be a big seller at Christmas - and outsell those of her husband.

St. Paul, Minn. — If U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann's popularity was judged by the sales of her new action figure, she'd be in trouble. The Connecticut-based toy company HeroBuilders has sold only 50 copies of the unlicensed action figure since its release on Sept. 25. Bachmann, a Republican, represents Minnesota's 6th Congressional District and has been a high-profile critic of President Obama and the Democratic Party. "I'll tell you this, she's no Sarah Palin," said Emil Vicale, CEO of HeroBuilders. He said the company's action figure depicting Republican Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska and former vice presidential candidate, sold...

Even action figure Michelle is fashion forwardMichelle Obama is now the first lady in action. The company that created the President Obama action figure announced it's releasing a miniature plastic version of the commander-in-chief's better half, according to the New York Daily News. Jailbreak Toys designed the Michelle Obama action figure to show off her toned arms -- and features the first lady in three different sleeveless dresses. The Michelle figurines retail for $12.99 apiece and are due to hit stores on Nov. 20. "Batman has nothing on Michelle Obama," Manhattan mom Eileen Ramos told the paper. "I bought the...

The toy company that created the Barack Obama action figure has done the same for his wife, Michelle - but don't even think about calling her a sidekick. Jason Feinberg of Jailbreak Toys says he thinks the First Lady doll will outdo the President's version, which has already racked up 200,000 sales.

(AP) Mattel has launched a new line of black Barbie dolls with fuller lips, a wider nose and more pronounced cheek bones - a far cry from Christie, Barbie's black friend who debuted in the 1960s and was essentially a white doll painted brown. etc.

Looking for the perfect gift for the little girl who has everything, from her own pet llama to dramatic ski and swim vacations? If the little girl happens to be Chrissa, a character in the American Girl doll series, a homeless friend may just be the perfect accessory. And if you're a real little girl, wouldn't you just love a homeless friend, too? Or, better yet, a homeless friend doll, for a mere $95? Gwen, a limited-edition doll, is part of the backstory for Chrissa (what, you didn't know dolls had backstories?), who proves her worth by standing up for...

San Antonio, TX - San Antonio Living Show - Entertainment Stories -- Homeless 'American Girl' doll part of new collection

"I just hate the image that we give to our kids that if you're beautiful, you're beautiful and you don't have to be smart," said Del. Jeff Eldridge, (D) Lincoln County. Delegate Jeff Eldridge introduced a bill to the house on Tuesday asking lawmakers to stop the sales of Barbie in the mountain state.

Here's one mom who won't be buying those new Sasha and Malia dolls produced by Westmont-based Ty, Inc.: First lady Michelle Obama. On Thursday, her office gave the toys the raspberry. "We believe it is inappropriate to use young, private citizens for marketing purposes,'' Katie McCormick Lelyveld, the first lady's press spokeswomen said in an e-mail to the Sun-Times. A spokeswoman for Ty did not return a call Thursday. On Wednesday, company spokeswoman Tania Lundeen told the paper that Ty, Inc. founder H. Ty Warner was inspired by the Obama daughters. "How can we resist?" she said. Crain's Chicago Business...

(Crain’s) — First lady Michelle Obama is not pleased about the marketing of a pair of dolls that bear the same names as her daughters. “We believe it is inappropriate to use young private citizens for marketing purposes,” Ms. Obama’s spokeswoman said. Ty Inc. released its “Sweet Sasha” and “Marvelous Malia” dolls this month. Both dolls have bronze skin and dark hair. The dolls are part of the Westmont-based toymaker’s TyGirlz line. The company is also the creator of Beanie Babies, which have reportedly generated more than $6 billion in sales since their debut in 1994. You May Also Like...

Dressed in yellow pajamas and a soft felt cap, the Fisher Price “Little Mommy Cuddle ‘n Coo” doll is not unlike many other toys on sale this holiday season. That is, until it talks. Centralia resident Linda Stewart was shopping for Christmas presents for her 7-year-old granddaughter when she spotted the dolls, on sale at Kmart in Chehalis for $5 apiece, she said. The baby elicits soft cooing and gibberish common in such toys, but one phrase “freaked out” Linda and her husband. The doll, which responds to movement, says “Islam is the light,” the couple claim. “It’s pretty clear,...

LOS ANGELES — The rowdy Bratz dolls have been evicted. Barbie has regained control of the dollhouse. Toy giant Mattel Inc., after a four-year legal dispute with MGA Entertainment Inc., touted its win in the case Wednesday after a federal judge banned MGA from making and selling its pouty-lipped and hugely popular Bratz dolls.

Ebay is auctioning Cabbage Patch dolls of all four candidates. I think they are hilarious! Some of the bidding is going quite high and the profits go to Toys for Tots. Many of you fellow ladies who like dolls may get a kick out of this. Sarah Palin doll: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200267359418

For sale in Target stores...

When Iranian toy seller Masoumeh Rahimi thinks of Barbie and Ken dolls, she thinks of heavy artillery — only worse. “I think every Barbie doll is more harmful than an American missile,” Ms. Rahmi told the BBC back in 2002. In April 2008, Iran’s top prosecutor and religious cleric, Ghorban Ali Dori Najafabadi, upped the anti-Barbie campaign by calling for a ban on the sale of all Barbie dolls from the country. “Barbie is an emissary of nudity and promotes moral corruption,” wrote the hardliner newspaper Kahyan.... (Photos at link)

Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger has invited Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin to join the sexy girl group, if her election campaign fails in November.

Election-year novelty dolls of Barack Obama, John McCain and Hillary Clinton have been ordered off the shelves of Walgreen drugstores nationwide because of customer complaints about the battery-operated figures. The 13.5-inch(34.3-centimeter)-tall dolls moved as they sang parodies and recited messages that were not approved by the presidential candidates. Walgreen Co. spokeswoman Tiffani Bruce told The Grand Rapids Press for a story published Friday that some customers were offended by what the dolls said or did. The Clinton figure referred to itself as a "broad" in one song parody. The Obama doll was sold in a box that proclaimed, "The senator...

'Dara and Sara' have been created by the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults in an effort to promote traditional Muslim values in the country. Unlike their American counterparts, the toys come dressed in modest clothing. They also have pro-family backgrounds and each of the four models of Sara comes with a white headscarf. They will be sold for just a third of the price of a Barbie doll. Toy seller Masoumeh Rahimi welcomed the dolls, noting that the image of Barbie as buxom, blonde and wearing revealing clothing was "more harmful than an American missile."...

If the interest in Sarah Palin’s eyeglasses is any indication, the Oxford, Conn., company making her action figure will be inundated with requests. But not everyone is amused. HeroBuilders.com has made three action figures of the Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate. The figures include the Sarah Palin business figure, complete with glasses, a suit and her hair pulled back in a bun. The Sarah Palin hero action figure looks like something from the movie “The Matrix,” with a long black coat opened to show a gun holster on the thigh. But it is the Sarah Palin School Girl that...

One company is hoping to cash in on Governor Sarah Palin's rise to national prominence. The company is selling Sarah Palin action figures, starting at $28. The company is offering three versions of the doll, and one is the Sarah Palin executive action figure. It's 1 feet tall and is dressed in a navy blue tailored pant suit. There's also a school girl model and a Sarah Palin super hero action figure, which is dressed in a mini-skirt and equipped with a leg-holstered handgun.

Looks like the DNC thinks the FEC has dominion over dolls.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - A top Iranian judiciary official warned Monday against the "destructive" cultural and social consequences of importing Barbie dolls and other Western toys. Prosecutor General Ghorban Ali Dori Najafabadi said in an official letter to Vice President Parviz Davoudi that the Western toys was a "danger" that needed to be stopped.

TEHRAN, Iran - A top Iranian judiciary official warned Monday against the "destructive" cultural and social consequences of importing Barbie dolls and other Western toys. In the latest salvo in a more than decade-old government campaign against Barbie, Prosecutor General Ghorban Ali Dori Najafabadi said in an official letter to Vice President Parviz Davoudi that the doll and other Western toys are a "danger" that need to be stopped. "The irregular importation of such toys, which unfortunately arrive through unofficial sources and smuggling, is destructive culturally and a social danger," said the letter, a copy of which was made available...

TEHRAN: Iran’s toy market is being inundated by models of Barbie, Batman, Spiderman and Harry Potter and the young must be protected from their harmful cultural effects, the prosecutor general was quoted as saying on Sunday. “Promoting figures like Barbie, Batman, Spiderman and Harry Potter and the uncontrolled import of CDs of video games and films should alarm all the country’s officials,” Ghorban Ali Dori Najafabadi was quoted as saying by the student ISNA news agency. “We need to find substitutes to ward off this onslaught, which aims at children and young people whose personality is in the process of...

With their bling-bling glittering through the plastic of their stylish boxes, they dish out attitude on the Barbie aisle. Happy D., Kiyoni Brown, Liam, P. Bo, Tika and Tre. Hip-hop culture in a box. Setting out to give older girls a reality check, this month Mattel introduced Flavas, its first doll designed to catch the eye of a modern tween (8- to 12-year-olds). Wendy Wedemier-Hinds, 33, of Miramar, says when she looks at the dolls, "I automatically think of hip-hop." Even the name Flava (hip-hop slang for personal style) is trendy. "It's Barbie with a twist," says Robert Rosenberg, manager...

Imagine 99 identical Barbie dolls in green Army fatigues and boots arrayed in parade rank before a crimson backdrop. It's an image of militaristic, monolithic power that pretty much sums up artist Mina Cheon's decidedly dim view of totalitarian rule. But in 99 Miss Kims (2005), on view at C. Grimaldis Gallery in the exhibit Mina Cheon: Addressing Dolls, Cheon marshals nearly 100 smaller-than-life doll figures as surrogates for the tense, larger-than-life human drama unfolding on the Korean peninsula. The piece is a not-so-veiled reference to the ideological and cultural regimentation imposed by North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il, and...

They're marketed as the all-American girls, each representing a different period in American history. But CBS 11 found the American Girl dolls that teach our heritage aren't really American.

Stockholm's most prestigious department store, Nordiska Kompaniet (NK), has had to remove a set of black ragdolls from its Christmas window display after receiving a number of complaints from concerned customers. A visit to NK's Christmas displays has been a part of Stockholmers' staple holiday traditions ever since 1915. This year's theme was “A dream Christmas”. Puppies, dragons and polar bears danced side-by-side with sugar plum fairies and... what appeared to be golliwogs. When the windows were first available for public consumption on Sunday, one featured three of the black dolls emerging from a Christmas package. "The company that does...

The Indonesian mother who created the Salma Muslim doll hopes the toy will help to inspire the virtue of modesty among girls. 28-year-old Sukmawati Suryaman's Barbie-like creation is the latest must-have toy for girls in Indonesia. Head scarfs and ankle-length dresses are in - bikinis and short skirts are out. "She's so cute in her long-sleeves and ankle-length dress," 8-year-old Nabila said.

A foot-high plastic Jesus doll that quotes Scripture and a three-inch Daniel in the lions' den are about to do battle with Barbie and Bratz in toy aisles across America. The nation's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, has announced that it will start carrying a line of faith-based toys in 425 of its 3,376 stores later this month to see if characters such as Spirit Warrior Samson can rival the popularity of superhero figures like Spiderman. The move is a first for the chain, which has carried religious-themed products including stationery and books before but never a line of toys. A spokesman...

Real love is hard to find for one Japanese man, who has transferred his affection and desires to dozens of plastic sex dolls.

With popular children’s doll lines featuring sexy clothing and gossip magazines aimed at preteens, society is turning girls into sexual objects earlier and earlier.   This was the lament of a senior Catholic bishop, who said such premature sexualizing of girls at a tender age should be one of the most serious issues confronting Philippine society. “The messages they receive through popular culture is that to be attractive, to be accepted by society, you have to dress and behave in a sexual manner. There are now lingerie clothing lines for preteen girls, and bras for girls under 10, T-shirts with...

A shopkeeper was told by police to remove Golliwogs from her window display - because they were offensive. Moira Pickering, 62, was warned that she risked breaching race hate laws if she failed to take them down. Recently bereaved widow Moira has been selling the dolls in her shop Stalybridge Reproductions in the town near Manchester for years and said they had never caused offence. Moira said the action was political correctness gone mad She said: "A woman came in and began taking photos. I thought she was taking a photo of the table and chairs, but then she went...

Hanging with Saddam novelty toy. Saddam is at the end of his rope in this funny toy.

A note arrived recently from Lori Bell-Santek, who is frustrated because she has been unable to find African-American Baby Alive dolls for her two biracial granddaughters. She made the rounds at Target, Wal-Mart and a few other stores and all she could find were white versions of Baby Alive. "In Wal-Mart," she wrote, "I took a moment to look up and down the aisles. It was the day after Thanksgiving, and the store was filled with shoppers. In the doll aisle were several little girls of color, and they were all looking at the same 'white, blond, blue-eyed' dolls. I...

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — After being contacted by The Rutherford Institute and outraged members of the public, the U.S Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program has reversed its decision and agreed to accept the donation of talking Jesus dolls from the company one2believe. Public statements by representatives of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation had suggested that their initial refusal of the Jesus dolls was motivated by a concern that the dolls might offend Jewish or Muslim recipients. In a letter to the president of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, John W. Whitehead pointed out that the Foundation’s rejection...

The Marine Reserves' Toys for Tots program has decided to accept a donation of talking Jesus dolls for gifts, changing course on a decision earlier this week to not accept them. "The talking Jesus doll issue has been resolved," the Marine organization announced on its Web site Wednesday. "Toys for Tots has found appropriate places for these items. We have notified the donor of our willingness to handle this transaction." Earlier this week, the program declined a suburban Los Angeles company's offer to donate 4,000 of the foot-tall dolls, which quote Bible verses. The battery-powered Jesus is one of several...

YOU CAN DRESS him up any way you want. Change his appearance to make him look like Orlando Bloom, Johnny Depp or even John Wayne. Tough boy, homeboy, cowboy. It doesn't matter. Ken is still a castrated man. Ken has always lived in the shadow of the venerable girl next door. He is an afterthought, known for nothing but being a mere accessory, sold separately. Mattel is trying to bring him back after a hiatus, but with a lobotomized grin and submissive gaze, he is the epitome of role reversal. While Barbie has been a regular career gal with a...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - He's been to the gym, looks buff and stylish, and now Barbie's boy toy Ken wants to win back the doll he split from two years ago. After a two-year separation, Mattel Inc. said on Thursday that Barbie's long-time suitor wants to rekindle his decades-long romance with his plastic paramour. Mattel is hoping Ken's return to retail stores can also revitalise the company's overall fortunes. In January, the company blamed sagging Barbie sales for sagging profits. "Ken has revamped his life -- mind, body and soul," Hollywood stylist and Mattel consultant Phillip Bloch said in a...

CAIRO (AFP) - Move over Barbie, veiled is beautiful. The physical ideal of Muslim girls increasingly includes the hijab, as evidenced by toy shops' best-selling doll "Fulla" and the string of showbiz stars opting to cover up. ADVERTISEMENT The dark-eyed and olive-skinned Fulla has replaced her American rival's skimpy skirts with more modest "outdoor fashion" and Barbie's luxuriant blonde mane with an Islamic veil.

American Girl alternative enjoys sales boost amidst boycott Jan 5, 2006 By Michael Foust Baptist Press Sales up The Life of Faith book and doll series has seen a sales increase since a pro-life group called for a boycott of American Girl. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--A conservative-led boycott of the popular American Girl book and doll series during the Christmas season apparently led many parents to seek alternatives -- so much so that one Christian company saw its sales nearly triple in the final weeks of 2005. The Life of Faith book and doll series -- sometimes called the Christian alternative...

A third gender choice available to young participants of a poll on the Barbie doll website was changed after initially offering children the options of "I am a Girl," "I am a Boy," and "I don't know" – eliciting charges that Mattel, the company that owns Barbie, is intentionally promoting gender confusing among kids. Barbie poll's original options. Apparently due to the criticism, the third gender option has now been changed to "I don't want to say." Concerned Women for America, or CWA, believes by including the "I don't know" choice the company was promoting the homosexual agenda. "It's...

List of the Girls Inc Board of Directors Some surprises here. Wal-mart, Home Depot, Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, .....maybe we need to be calling and emailing more than just American Girl. Are these corporations aware of what Girls Inc advocates? Girls Incorporated National Board of Directors 2005-2006 Val Ackerman, Founding President Women's National Basketball Association; New York, NY Susie Buffett, Community Volunteer, (Board Secretary) Omaha, NE Francis X. Burnes III, Former Managing Director (Retired) JP Morgan Chase; New York, NY Cathy Duffy, Chief Executive Officer (Region III Representative) Girls Incorporated of New Hampshire; Manchester, NH Michael L. Dweck, Managing...

LONDON - Barbie, beware. The iconic plastic doll is often mutilated at the hands of young girls, according to research published Monday by British academics. "The girls we spoke to see Barbie torture as a legitimate play activity, and see the torture as a 'cool' activity," said Agnes Nairn, one of the University of Bath researchers. "The types of mutilation are varied and creative, and range from removing the hair to decapitation, burning, breaking and even microwaving." Mattel U.K. said that despite the findings of "this very small group of children, we know that there are millions of girls in...

BARBIE, that plastic icon of girlhood fantasy play, is routinely tortured by children, research has found. The methods of mutilation are varied and creative, ranging from scalping to decapitation, burning, breaking and even microwaving, according to academics from the University of Bath. The findings were revealed as part of an in-depth look by psychologists and management academics into the role of brands among 7 to 11-year-old schoolchildren. The researchers had not intended to focus on Barbie, but they were taken aback by the rejection, hatred and violence she provoked when they asked the children about their feelings for the doll....

American Girl Tries to Restore Image, Pro-Life Group Declares Victory To: National Desk Contact: Ann Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League, 773-777-2900, 312-965-1030 cell, ann@prolifeaction.org CHICAGO, Dec. 14 /Christian Wire Service/ -- "American Girl is trying to restore its wholesome image with pro-life families," said Ann Scheidler, executive director of the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League. "Their efforts at damage control show how effective our protest and boycott have been." "In contrast to American Girl's affiliation with pro-abortion Girls Inc, they have just launched a major ad campaign, designed to protect girls from growing up too fast," said Scheidler. "The sudden...

Pro-Life Group To Picket American Girl Place in New York To: National Desk Contact: Ann Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League, 773-777-2900, 312-965-1030 cell, ann@prolifeaction.org CHICAGO, Dec. 8—The Pro-Life Action League will lead a picket by parents and their daughters at American Girl Place on Fifth Avenue in New York City on Saturday, December 10, from 10:00 a.m. to noon, in protest of American Girl's ties to the pro-abortion advocacy group, Girls Incorporated. "December is the busiest shopping season of the year," said League Executive Director Ann Scheidler. "Our picket will reach thousands of shoppers on New York's Fifth Avenue...