Free Republic

Maya Angelou is the latest addition to Barbie's "Inspiring Women" series. Barbie says the women of this series were risktakers who "changed rules and paved the way for generations of girls to dream bigger than ever before." Angelou's career includes a national book award nomination for "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," her 1969 autobiography. Dr. Angelou also received dozens of honorary doctorates, numerous awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Angelou doll has a head wrap and a floral printed dress, and an image released by the toy company showed the figure holding a miniature version of...

Mattel published a video for their Barbie franchise featuring the cartoon version of the doll having a very difficult discussion about the racist experiences of her black doll friend, Nikki. The video was posted to the official Barbie YouTube page on Wednesday. "There is a huge movement going on," Barbie said. "Millions of people across the world are standing up to fight against racism, and they're doing this because too often and for such a long time, people have been treated unfairly, and in some cases even hurt by others, because of the color of their skin," she explained helpfully....

Some concerned parents have contacted the Mattel toy company with allegations that one of its dolls utters words which promote Islam. The Little Mommy Cuddle 'n Coo dolls are manufactured by Fisher-Price, which is part of the Mattel toy empire. However, a number of parents contacted the company when they heard the doll say these words: "Islam is the light." While the doll appears to utter "Islam is the light," the company denies that is actually what it is programmed to say. Mattel insists that Little Mommy Cuddle 'n Coo features realistic baby sounds, including cooing, giggling, and baby babble,...