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IRAN TO EXPORT SARA AND DARA, THE ISLAMIC BARABIE AND KENNY
Iran Press Service ^ | July 2002 | Iran Press Service

Posted on 07/26/2002 11:02:21 PM PDT by stilts

TEHRAN 20 July (IPS) Iran plans to export Sara and Sara, the Islamic Barbie and Kenny dolls to Asia, Europe and even the United States, the official news agency IRNA reported.

The Islamic dolls, Sara in place of Barbie and Dara for Kenny are to be supplied after reportedly huge demand from abroad through an educational institute for children development in 18 different types of garments representing nine Iranian tribes, IRNA said.

Introduced a year ago as part of the Iranian clerical rulers campaign to combat the "corrupt influence" of Barbie the glamorous and Kenny, the sexy young boy, over Iranian children, Sara and Dara did not appealed much to Iranian children, mostly the girls.

Sara and Dara were conceived in Iran but have come to Iran from China, the country which also produces Barbie and Kenny.

Since none of the prototypes produced in the Islamic Republic appealed to children, the Creative Toys Division of the Institute for Cultural Heritage commissioned a Chinese manufacturer to produce the dolls, with a fraction of what Iranian workshops had asked for, and with better quality, according to one of the Institute decision makers.

It wasn’t until two months ago that the duo appeared in stores with much promotional hoopla.

Majid Qaderi, head of the Creative Toys Division, asserts that the decision to produce the toy outside Iran was all a question of quality, and “we don’t think that there is contradiction in producing these dolls outside Iran and calling them Iran national dolls”. It seems that the label of melli or national is there to encourage a particular way of looking at things.

Qaderi also spoke of a Barbie syndrome, one that is infecting everyone around the world: “A society may be under the threat of many maladies, each of which could deliver a blow to the social body. But, there is always a more dangerous threat, and in this case, Barbie is that more dangerous threat.”

It was also the intention of the conceivers of Sara and Dara to introduce the dolls in neighboring countries as paragon of Muslim integrity. But, they also face a rival in that field. Only a few years back, another 8-year old arrived in the Persian Gulf littoral states. Alexandra is an Israeli doll very much in the garb of a Muslim girl, making the idea of a Muslim doll somewhat out-of-date. Qaderi believes in competition and not contention. He thinks that the quality of the dolls will make them competitive.

Shop owners selling dolls and other toys for children said despite a huge difference in the prices and pressures by the authorities, demand for Barbie and Kenny remains very high and steady, while few people, mostly aged ones, ask for "the Islamic Sara", either for their collections or for the fun of it.

The Islamic dolls are to confront what Islamic Iran brands as "cultural invasion" by the Barbie toys and earlier this year the toy shops in Teheran were asked to remove all their Barbie and Kenny toys. Iranian educational officials had earlier termed Barbie dolls "like the Wooden Horse of Troy with many cultural invading soldiers inside it".

One owner of toy shop in Tehran said since the "imposition" of Sara and Dara in place of Barbie and Kenny from the authorities, demands for the veiled Sara has dropped while the prices for her American "sister" has shoot up.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: barbie; children; dara; dolls; iran; ken; lamemarketing; sara
Shop owners selling dolls and other toys for children said despite a huge difference in the prices and pressures by the authorities, demand for Barbie and Kenny remains very high and steady, while few people, mostly aged ones, ask for "the Islamic Sara", either for their collections or for the fun of it.

No S#%T Sherlock! ROTFLMAO

1 posted on 07/26/2002 11:02:21 PM PDT by stilts
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To: stilts
her American "sister" has shoot up.

Barbie on smack??!!!

2 posted on 07/26/2002 11:08:25 PM PDT by Jeff Chandler
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To: stilts
In the Islamic version, the clothing is molded from the same plastic as the bodies so that children can't incur the wrath of Allah for being curious.
3 posted on 07/26/2002 11:15:52 PM PDT by Black Powder
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To: stilts
And you can style her burka in a whole range of colors....and Dara comes with some really cool accessories, meant to bridge over to the little boy crowd...like martyr bombs and satchel charges.
4 posted on 07/26/2002 11:17:15 PM PDT by Stavka2
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To: stilts
Is this for real???
5 posted on 07/26/2002 11:17:39 PM PDT by Mo1
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To: stilts
I saw a send-up about Sara and Dara on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update a couple of months ago or so, and thought it was simply a clever joke they came up with.

Seems the funniest jokes about Iran consist of the straight-up facts. Sometimes I think they're just yanking our chains and laughing behind our backs.

Imal

6 posted on 07/27/2002 2:22:44 AM PDT by Imal
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To: Mo1
Is this for real???

You can't make this stuff up. As much as this seems like an article from the Onion, it is actually from the Iran Press Service.

7 posted on 07/27/2002 4:51:21 AM PDT by stilts
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To: stilts
the Islamic Barbie and Kenny dolls to Asia

I presume that both of them have been circumsized.

8 posted on 07/27/2002 5:29:52 AM PDT by dinasour
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To: Mo1
Yes, it's for real. Different versions of the story have appeared here on FR over the past months.

Here's a link to some pic's. Click on the pic for the larger version.

Click here

9 posted on 07/27/2002 5:44:29 AM PDT by csvset
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To: stilts
You won't be able to see anything but Sara's eyes, which will be rolling as Dara beats himself senseless with chains during a religious frenzy.

The things guys do to impress gals....
10 posted on 07/27/2002 6:41:47 AM PDT by dvwjr
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To: stilts
The Islamic girls will have so much fun playing wedding day with one Dara and four Saras.
11 posted on 07/27/2002 6:59:35 AM PDT by FITZ
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To: FITZ
I was thinking the very same thing Fitz .. How are these dolls going to be packaged ? Oops ; I should 'prolly rephrase the question on a public forum ?
12 posted on 07/27/2002 7:06:14 AM PDT by Ben Bolt
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To: stilts
....accessories include a clitoral circumcision kit for sara, and a stick to beat her with, for dara...
13 posted on 07/27/2002 7:11:02 AM PDT by galt-jw
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To: stilts

Iran launches its own Ken doll, "Sandy the Jihadist" to promote traditional values. Accessories, bomb belt, arm bands, burning flags, Kalishnakov, camel, and Koran all sold separately.
14 posted on 07/27/2002 7:13:33 AM PDT by johniegrad
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To: stilts
Sara in a chadoor, what a fashon statement.
15 posted on 07/27/2002 7:14:49 AM PDT by reg45
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To: dorben
Besides the bride-saras, there can be any amount of concubine-saras and slave-girl-saras. They all have to wear the same outfit. All the excess daras can go to fighting jihads.
16 posted on 07/27/2002 7:19:34 AM PDT by FITZ
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To: johniegrad
bomb belt

I call them "Arafat tuxedo's".

17 posted on 07/27/2002 7:20:30 AM PDT by reg45
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To: Black Powder
In the Islamic version, the clothing is molded from the same plastic explosive as the bodies so that children can attack their Jewish neighbors.
18 posted on 07/27/2002 7:23:29 AM PDT by reg45
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To: johniegrad
Maybe we can find a social engineering group of malcontents to protest the importation of these racist dolls ?

Surely not all of the Iranians are so dark in there skin tone with brown eyes ? Is JJ on the case to have the manufacturing company diversify ?

19 posted on 07/27/2002 7:29:56 AM PDT by Ben Bolt
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