Strollerderby : dolls

Breastfeeding Kids Scare Prudes

JeanneSager — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:32:00 GMT

OK, let me break it down for you folks, because apparently there are still some folks out there who don't get it.

Breastfeeding is not a sexual act.

So if toddlers are doing it to their dolls, do we REALLY give two hoots (or hooters?). A group of Brits with their granny panties in a bunch apparently do.

Staff at a hospital in Manchester, England hung a poster that shows a little girl "breastfeeding" her doll. It's something I know a lot of moms say their kids have done. Because, well, they saw a Mom (maybe theirs, maybe someone else's) doing it and they want to be just like her. That, they've decided is part of mothering their "baby" doll. It's actually pretty sweet if you think about it.

The staff were trying to make that point exactly - kids copy what they see, so why not give them a positive example? Except a grandmother visiting her grandson called the papers to complain because, she says, "The picture is shocking and it isn't normal. Children copy their parents but I don't think any little girls should be breastfeeding their dolls."

Why is it shocking? Because a little kid is playing mommy? Excuse me, should we send that message out to the hundreds of dolls marketed for giving kids ability to pretend to be "just like mom?" How about the toy strollers and little Mommy and Me outfits?

Of course, if she was holding a bottle to the baby's mouth, we can only assume Gram would be just fine with this picture, and everything would be right with the world. Er, OK, why? Because it didn't involve a boobie? Bingo! Because we're just parading back to the fact that breasts are not to be used for such nonsense as what nature intended.

What really bugs me about this story, however, isn't Gram. She might just be written off as old-fashioned and set in her ways (although at thirty-nine . . . ). But the healthcare worker quoted in the article calling the photo "offensive," is of even greater concern here. Because if someone working IN a hospital setting is freaked out by this picture, it's no wonder moms are still getting poor breastfeeding starts at many hospitals.

So let's get back to the beginning. Breastfeeding does not equal sex. Three-year-old pretending to feed their dolly breastmilk does not equal kinky perversion. Now, want to go tell your son or daughter they're doing something freaky? Didn't think so.

Image:Manchester Evening News

Ty Tries Again. Makes Bo -The First Dog Doll

SunnyChanel — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:30:00 GMT

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” This is the mantra that toymaker Ty must be repeating Ad nauseam in their attempt to cash in on the Obama families fame. Ty, the company that brought the world the Beanie Baby, recently released their Bo – The First Dog doll. They had recently tried to market a “Marvelous Malia” and “Sweet Sasha” Beanie Baby dolls inspired by the Obama girls, but the company ceased production after the First Lady complained.The Malia and Sasha dolls that did manage to make it out into the world are a very hot commodity on eBay.

Bo - The First Dog doll is based on the Portuguese Water Dog recently acquired by the Obamas. This plush representation of Bo hit the market on April 16th and sold out within hours. But in a move made to perhaps not incur the wrath of the white house, Ty are donating a portion of the proceeds of the sales of the dolls to be given to animal shelters. You can check out the REAL Bo in action here.

Do you think that it makes it okay to cash in on the Obamas since they are giving somehting back?

Half of Black Girls Think White Skin is Prettier

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:20:00 GMT

A fascinating and poignant study conducted on Good Morning America today shows how race relations in the U.S. have evolved in the last 70 years—and officially proves that Barack Obama’s election to the White House has not wiped racism off the face of the earth (sorry, Steve Colbert, but you still have to pretend to like Spike Lee movies).

In a recreation of a 1940s experiment, black children were given two dolls, identical except for their skin color. In the original experiment—which was used in the arguments for Brown v. Board of Education—63 percent of African American kids say they would rather play with the white doll because it was “nicer” than the black doll. Heart-wrenchingly, 44 percent of black kids said they felt that the white doll looked most like them.

The 19 children between the ages of 5 and 9 who were interviewed on Good Morning America had more encouraging, though still problematic, responses. 88 percent said they looked most like the black doll, while 42 percent would prefer to play with the black doll (compared with 32 percent who chose the white doll and 26 percent who didn’t want to play with either one).

When asked which doll was prettier (a question added by Good Morning America to reflect our appearance-obsessed times), every single boy said they thought the dolls were equally pretty. But disturbingly, 47 percent of girls said the white doll was prettier. According to sociologist Julius Wilson, "Black boys are more confident. Black girls don't feel that they enjoy the respect and admiration that black boys do." This is not going to change overnight, no matter how many adorable African American girls are in the White House.

That’s not to say that these kids weren’t affected by Obama’s presidency. “Barack Obama was, like, my ideal,” one little girl said. “He’s persevered and he’s gone through so much and I think since he’s done it, I can do it, too.”

The video (which ABC unfortunately won’t let me post here) is well worth watching to hear the kids’ full responses, which are tearjerkers of both the bitter and the sweet variety. Plus, one little girl makes a comment about the white doll’s “beady eyes” that is a total crackup.

Photo: The Situationist

Dora Grows up—Stops Exploring, Starts Shopping

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Yes, that toothpick-legged, sexy-haired silhouette to the right is the new Dora the Explorer.

According to Nickelodeon, an older, more fashionable Dora line—“featuring fashion dolls and accessories” (sold separately)—will be released in the fall and marketed to tween girls.

The new Dora will go to middle school in the big city and have a “whole new fashionable look.” The keystone of the new doll will be online play, in which kids can change Dora’s clothes and accessories—and also solve a mystery if they feel like it.

It’s no mystery why Nickelodeon would team up with Mattel to expand Dora the Explorer (cha-ching!), but did they really have to shamelessly transform Dora from a fearless outdoorswoman whose best friends are talking animals into a materialistic fashionista? Tween girls are bombarded with enough worries about clothes and appearance as it is.

Considering most children’s obsession with “big kids,” I’m worried that even three- and four-year-old lovers of Dora will be turned on to this stereotypical fashion doll, rather than following Dora and Boots on bilingual humanitarian missions in the great outdoors.

What do you think about the new Dora line--sad makeover, or a way for kids to maintain their connection with a powerful female character?

Image: businesswire.com

Also on Babble:

Liveblogging Toy Fair: Everything You Need to Know About Tween Dora

The Barbie Runway Show – The Hot Ticket at Fashion Week

SunnyChanel — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:09:00 GMT

The hot ticket at New York Fashion Week? It wasn’t the Badgley Mischka, Narcisco Rodriguez or Zac Posen show. No, it was the exclusive Barbie fashion show held at the main tent at Bryant Park on Saturday.

The epic production included fifty-one high end designers such as Donna Karen, Diane Von Furstenberg, Betsey Johnson along with smaller fashion houses like Marchesa and Rag and Bones.

The show began with a projected bio of the life and time of Barbie. Then the first model hit the runway wearing an outfit inspired by the swimsuit featured on the first Barbie ever released.

Along with the oodles of press and fashion buyers, in attendance were “by several hundred New York mothers and their young daughters who greeted each model's appearance with screams of delight.”

They were all there to celebrate Barbie’s 50th birthday. She’s aged pretty well. How she kept that waistline in beyond me.

You can check out the runway show below.

New Edition: What They're Babbling About

JeanneSager — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:31:00 GMT

We're introducing a new feature here on Strollerderby this week, one that will hopefully show up every Friday. We'd like to think we cover all the parenting news that's fit to type up, but we've got little monkeys running around our houses that sometimes demand our attention too.

Fortunately, a few of our friends outside the crib fill in for us. And Strolllerderby's bringing them home. We'll give you a look at What They're Babbling About every week, so you can have a playdate with us.

So what's the babble been like this week?

Good Enough Mother Rene Syler remembers begging for the white dolls that her friends had because there were none out there that looked just like her. With the hype (and mini scandal) over the now-renamed Sasha and Malia dolls, she ponders - is the attention on black girls good for little ones? - Parent Dish

Wondering what the baby's really thinking? Belle Vivir's got a letter from the baby to the Big Guy upstairs. And if you're expecting mush, look elsewhere because this baby's got some attitude. - Belle Vivir

If your Net Nanny's keeping out all the good stuff (like searchines of crib bedding people, come on, get your minds out of the gutter) how about a pile of kid-friendly Web search engines? - MOMformation

If there's no man around to play daddy, you're perfectly fine on your own. But you could always join forces with a bunch of other single moms to make your own big happy family. - Jezebel

So you hand your maternity clothes off to a friend who's got a bun in the oven and . . . uh oh, you're preggers. Can you ask for the clothes back? - Alpha+Mom

Image: Jezebel

Ty Company Discontinues Sasha and Malia Dolls

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:01:00 GMT

Even Ty Warner has to answer to someone. The Ty Warner Company has decided to retire the Mahvelous Malia and Sweet Sasha beanie babies, due to objections from the White House. The First Lady had a hunch that those dolls’ names were no coincidence, despite the Ty Company’s assurance to the contrary.

One could argue that there’s nothing wrong with little girls seeing Sasha and Malia as role models—and if that means having doll versions of the First Daughters, why not? But Michelle Obama is making an important point about the crassness of using children to turn a profit. (Anyone see the latest Toddlers and Tiaras?)

Fear not, beanie baby-loving parents: Precious Paris and Bubbly Britney are still available, and they are more than happy to stand in as your children’s very expensive role models.

Photo: New York Times

Michelle Obama Objects to Sasha and Malia Dolls

Sasha and Malia Beanie Baby Dolls

Caylee Anthony Doll, the Worst Toy Idea Ever

Michelle Obama Objects to Sasha and Malia Dolls

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:30:00 GMT

If you were one of the many skeptics who aren’t buying the Ty company's claims that their recently released dolls--Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia--have nothing to do with President Obama’s daughters, you’re in good company.

Michelle Obama has objected to the Ty company’s thinly veiled exploitation of her daughters. According to a spokesperson for the first lady, Michelle believes "it is inappropriate to use young private citizens for marketing purposes.” Bravo!

Michelle didn’t add (nor did she need to) that she’d hardly be flattered to have her daughters represented in the TyGirlz line, which includes Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton.

Photo: UPI

Sasha and Malia Beanie Baby Dolls

Ty Company Discontinues Sasha and Malia Dolls

Caylee Anthony Doll, the Worst Toy Idea Ever

Barbie’s Creator A Sexual Pervert

Cole Gamble — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:00:00 GMT

C’mon, don’t act shocked. Have you seen Barbie? The slut can’t keep her clothes on. Only a sexual deviant could mastermind such a lascivious little hussy.

According to "Toy Monster: The Big, Bad World of Mattel," Jack Ryan, Barbie's designer, was a "full-blown seventies-style swinger" with "a manic need for sexual gratification."

In the book, a friend of Ryan’s divulges, "When Jack talked about creating Barbie ... it was like listening to somebody talk about a sexual episode, almost like listening to a sexual pervert." Ryan reportedly patronized "high-class call girls to streetwalkers," including a "very thin and child-like" hooker.

Why is it we always hear about the creators of children’s’ entertainment engaging in sexual deviancy? Everybody’s familiar with the urban legends behind Disney’s allegedly perverted animators. And who can forget Pee Wee Herman’s night at the theater? (Years later police found an extensive child pornography collection in Pee Wee’s house) Can you remember other examples of people in children’s entertainment whose nasty deeds were revealed?

Other Barbie related posts:

Smackdown: Barbie and the End of the World

Smackdown: Aw, Just Let Her Have a Barbie

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Should You Take A Risk on Orgasmic Birth? (Orgasmic Birth Video included)

4 Ways Birth and Breastfeeding Will Ruin Sex

Pete Wentz: "I've Tasted Ashley's Breast Milk."

Banana Dildos and the 10 Worst Toys and Gifts This Christmas (part 1)

Desert Island Disks – Kid Music Edition

Smackdown: Barbie and the End of the World

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:06:00 GMT

We planned this Smackdown awhile ago, not long after my daughter opened a Scuba Barbie for Christmas. Her grandparents, who had refused to purchase a Barbie for their own daughter, were beyond thrilled to buy one for mine.

"Every girl should have a Barbie," they gushed. My wife stared at them in slack-jawed, open-mouth wonder.

"What the hell?" she said, "I wanted a Barbie for years!"

If someone had taken Tiny Tim's crutch and beaten him about his frail, twisted legs while eating all the Christmas goose, it still would have been a merrier scene than the one at our house at that moment.

My wife stewed, my in-laws beamed and I sat on the couch, staring at this plastic creature I had successfully avoided for nearly three years.

I never wanted a Barbie in the house.

Her clothes don't bother me so much. The early Barbie wore some swinging outfits and I've seen some newer Barbies that sport the kind of clothes your cool, older sister might have worn while packing her belongings for college. Unlike Bratz, you have to purposefully find Slut Barbie.

Her hair, her makeup. These things are easily changed, cut, washed off, shaded -- any girl can style the doll to her own liking.

Except, of course, for the body.

Barbie has an impossible body.

Now, before the great Christmas Barbie Episode of 2008, I was originally worried not that my daughter might grow to look and dress and act like Barbie. Rather, I was worried what she might do to try.

A friend's daughter, then 7, told her mother one day that she needed to go on a diet so she could look "more like Sally" -- the name she had given to her Barbie. I'm not saying Barbie is the gateway to eating disorders. But I also don't think dieting fits into the realm of playtime. How fun is that to look at a toy and think you're suddenly not good enough? Yay! And our friend's daughter is not the first to bring this up. And I doubt the same emotion overcomes a girl playing with a chubby Cabbage Patch Doll.

Some young girls see Barbie, want her body and then destroy their own. After all, isn't Barbie a model for the perfect female?

Then Barbie did in fact come into our house.

When she did, my daughter, Emmeline, picked up her new toy, examined it for a bit, played with her clothes and then eventually abandoned the thing for the two dolphin friends that came in the same pack and lent testimony to the fact that this was, indeed, the real Scuba Barbie. (Why the dolphins are wearing mascara, I don't know -- even animals have to be sexualized now, I suppose.) But at this moment, Barbie lays forgotten upstairs, buried underneath a pile of clothes.

I'm not going to throw it away or keep it from her, although now is my chance. No, it dawned on me that I, her father, probably have a lot more sway over how she will one day view herself and her body than some stupid doll. Do I really want to be the person whispering in her ear about body issues? Do I want to make such a big deal out of it that an issue heretofore unknown to her suddenly becomes a cause for serious familial discussion? (And of course a story about Iran banning Barbie didn't help, when it left me thinking, "Great, now I'm the fucking Ayatollah of the toy box.")

But what really sent me over the edge in the past week was when a friend of a boy said, "You've got Barbie to deal with, sure -- but what am I going to do when my son wants a gun?"

A toy gun. I had 35 of them. Cap guns. Laser guns. Electronic talking hippy pacifist guns that fired words instead of bullets, man! And I never went on some drunken rampage and shot up the post office (although I suppose there's still time). I was never the bully. I've been in all of one real fight.

It's just a toy, I caught myself thinking.

But then what of Barbie?

This was supposed to be the side of the Smackdown in which I let loose on the dangers of letting young girls play with shapely molded plastic -- how it's only setting them on a course of crash diets and the latest fasting fads, tweenish liposuction and adolescent insecurities. But now I've seen the actual impact of Barbie up close and I'm not too worried. I still maintain that I'm not going to buy one (there are actually a hundred cooler dolls out there, including the freaky-eyed Victorian-era porcelain cherubs my daughter has come to love) but if another Barbie enters the house, I think I'm the last person who should be making a big deal of it.

The Other Side:

Smackdown: Aw, Just Let Her Have a Barbie

Also, Barbie's Sordid, Swinging History

Time for Post-Holiday Gendered Toy Balancing?

Miriam Axel-Lute — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:30:00 GMT

I never really understood people who wanted to go shopping right after the winter holidays, except maybe for the very thrifty stocking up on cheap wrapping paper for next year. But suddenly I find myself contemplating it.

I blame it on my fellow 'Derby blogger who wrote about recent research arguing that traditional "girl toys" discourage the development of problem solving skills useful in science and math: "The toys reported [by parents] as girls' favorites didn't teach anything specific, allowing, rather for imaginative play mostly related to childcare. Boys' reported favorite toys, on the other hand, encouraged action, learning of new things, use of reading and problem solving skills as well as imagination."

See, I keep thinking of that post now, because it's striking, after all the grandparents have weighed in with their prezzies, how heavy my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter's haul is on the tea sets and dolls. Now, I'm not complaining. It's not like anyone was on a mission to make her a little princess. The personalized map of her neighborhood made for her by her GIS-enabled uncle is awesome and all about the abstract thinking. The just-like-daddy's painters' jeans and the red leather jacket are anything but prissy. And she adores each instance of the dolls (some of which came from us) and tea sets and jewelry. I don't have a problem with anything she got (even the pretty sexist Richard Scarry classic What Do People Do All Day? because it's awesome in so many other ways and such a nostalgia trip for me). In fact, it's all pretty great.

But I'm nonetheless finding myself aware of the gaps, aware that intentionally or not, the balance of her new possessions is clearly on the "caring and nurturing" side over the "making things, using their hands and solving problems" side. This is leading me to fantasize about spending money I don't have on a tool set or TinkerToys or Montessori counting rods (or the Free to Be reissue).

I am, of course, probably overreacting and should just take a deep breath, let life return to normal, and keep my eyes on the garage sales. It's not like imaginative nuturing play will limit her ability to develop other skills. It's more that I'm concerned about her getting to the age of developing a gender identity, which isn't far off, and deciding that based on the evidence so far, these are girl toys and she should eschew the others. Any other parents of daughters feeling the same way? (Or, for that matter, parents of sons having the reciprocal problem?)

Photo by Doeth, via Flickr.

More by this author:

Related Posts:

Do Early Childhood Toy Preferences Encourage a Gender Gap in Education?

Meet Chrissa, the Newest, Lamest American Girl Doll

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:30:00 GMT

I remember with perfect clarity the Christmas that I got a Samantha doll as a present. I was well acquainted with all of the American Girls by then, having studied their varied histories and enviously played with my friends’ Kirstens and Mollys. So when I opened the package and found Samantha inside, I already knew that she felt suffocated by her Grandmary’s ideals of what it meant to be “a lady.” I promised to rescue her from her staid Victorian background.

Samantha led a charmed life to be sure, but it was an interesting, charmed life. And it was told in books, which helped me get hooked on reading, taught me a wee bit of history, and helped me identify with people who lived in very different times and places from my own.

Chrissa, who will hit toy store shelves this January, will educate girls about how to navigate social challenges in 2009—through an HBO movie (An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong). Instead of combating a historical hardship, such as the oppression of women or World War II, Chrissa is battling “relational aggression.” There's no question that relational aggression is an important issue, but do we have to give even our dolls psychological diagnoses? What about engaging stories, to, you know, distract and cheer up all the kids who are suffering relational aggression?

Am I just being crotchety, or is Chrissa a lame replacement for Samantha?

Photo: USA Today

Barbie Beats Bratz in Battle of the Dolls

Kate Tuttle — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 18:29:00 GMT

After a four-year legal battle, toy empire Mattel has finally vanquished Bratz, the vaguely hooker-ish doll line that had nearly sunk the company's venerable Barbie brand. US District Judge Stephen Larson ruled Wednesday that MGA, which makes and sells Bratz, must immediately cease and desist, siding with a lower court's finding that Bratz inventor Carter Bryant had developed the pouty, vampy dols while working for Mattel. That case, decided by jury, gave Mattel $10 million for copyright vilations and another $90 million for breach of contract.

Fear not, Bratz lovers: MGA plans an immediate appeal. And hey, if they lose, remember to steal a motto from the crazy gun fans out there: when Bratz are outlawed, only outlaws will have Bratz. Fess up: aren't you glad these skanky items will likely be off the shelf before your baby girl gets old enough to ask for one?

More by this author:

Baby Nearly Starves to Death, Diluted Formula to Blame
Grandmother’s Right? Or Totally Obnoxious?
Health Scam: Crisis Pregnancy Centers
Mama’s Got a Brand New Bag

Make Your Own Religious Doll

Brett Singer — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Doll Creation Station allows people of all religious persuasions to make dolls featuring the accoutrements of their faith. To be fair, the site only offers Christian, Jewish and Muslim dolls, but the company suggests that you "Check back with us as we expand into other religious and ethnic markets."

The best seller at the moment is "Set 3J", which is the Jewish doll.

The set comes with "a Jewish themed t-shirt and matching denim skirt, socks and shoes," as well as a "matching Magen David bracelet set for you and your doll as well as a silver plated matching Magen David necklace set for you and your doll!" But wait! There's more! "Dress your doll in a satin white and gold trim Queen Esther costume with gold crown and sceptre, and play Shabbat with a 10 piece wooden toy Shabbat Set that includes challah, wine, and candles."

Maybe it's just me but "Let's play Shabbat" doesn't really have the same appeal as "Let's play house." But again, maybe that's just me.

Also, if I were a more observant Jew, I wonder if I might be slightly offended by the idea of "playing" a religious ritual. Do Catholic children "play communion"? Also, is it fair to lump all of Christianity together? And what exactly does a "butterfly hooded sweatshirt" have to do with being Christian? (The Muslim doll sets include a "2 piece Hijab", which is more specific to the doll I suppose.) Will the atheist doll come with a copy of "The God Delusion"? (I'll go out on a limb here and say that I don't think they will ever make an atheist doll. Although it would be funny if they did.)

The idea of dolls that better reflect the way the world actually looks is not a new one and it is important. But I always thought the point was more physical than spiritual – that is, all dolls shouldn't have blonde hair and white skin. The company does plan to expand to include other ethnicities, and offers a choice of hair color and type, so part of the pitch is definitely "a doll that looks like you." But another part of it is "a doll that shares your faith."

Would anyone out there buy a religious doll for their child?

Source: dollcreationstation.com

Joe Biden Is Our First Catholic Vice President

History Channel Debunks Thanksgiving Myths

GPS Lingerie Upsets Some, Entices Others

Best of FameCrawler: Week of November 14th

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John Travolta Bald With Love

Who Is Barack Obama? 50 Things You Didn't Know

Will.I.Am: It's a New Day (Video)

Watch Out For Your Soul, Britney: Madonna's HUNGRY

Secret Message in Taylor Swift Lyrics: Pregnant or Not, She's Really Pissed

Rihanna Pregnant With Chris Brown's Baby?

Photos: First Daughter Sasha Obama

Caylee Anthony Remains Found?

Remember The Pregnant Man? He's Knocked Up Again!

Will Smith, Oprah and Obama: The Crying Game (Video)

It's Sunday Rose On Oprah

Presidential Perks for Obama Kids

Best of FameCrawler: Week of November 7th

Whit Honea — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Obama Elected 44th President of the United States!

Brooke Burke Says She's Married...More Kids, Please!

Sarah Palin Gets Crank Pranked But Good (Video! And Palin Response! GOD THIS IS FUN!)

Jemaine Clement Has A Son

Rahm Emanuel is Now Part of Barack Obama's Entourage (Photos)

Colbert, Stewart and Obama: The Tears of a Clown(s)

Brad Pitt's Parents Don't Want to See Angelina's Boobs

Is Taylor Swift Pregnant?

Salma Hayek Is A Thief

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Michelle Obama is a Work of Art

Baby Brother For Suri Cruise?

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I Guess It's Over: Madonna Set to Bury Guy's Memory. Literally.

Barack Obama Variety Show on SNL - Video!

This Just In- Jon Stewart Having Campbell Browns Baby

Suri Cruise Has A Private Gym!

Dolls No Longer for Sale, But Always in Our Hearts

Amy Kuras — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:01:00 GMT

Thank you, Feminist Law Professors, thank you.

Not for being feminist law professors, although that’s all awesome and great too, but for this post – dolls that are no longer on the market. Because now I can prove to people that what may have been my first Barbie, a bizarre creation called Growing Up Skipper, actually existed.

This doll went from regular, flat-chested Skipper (Barbie’s little sister) to, um, “maturing” Skipper with a twist of her arm. She’d grow breasts, a slimmer waist, and extend her height from 9 inches to nearly 10. I had this doll when I was a little girl and like NO ONE actually believes me that such a thing existed. I guess she was pretty controversial and complaints eventually led Mattel to withdraw the doll.

Another WTF I played with from the Barbie family was “Sport and Shave Ken” – interestingly, not the first shaveable Ken, but definitely the weirdest. As described in the 1980 Mattel toy catalog,“he’s athletic –he’s all man” with his short brown bob, mustard shorts, and long navy pants and sex-AY low-cut white shirt he changes into for his date with Barbie. The guy comes with a blowdryer, shaving mug, and, and here’s where it gets weird, a marker that you use to draw a beard or mustache or, okay, pubes on him (like you wouldn’t have) and then you shave them off with the included sponge-tipped razors. (Thanks, Sunny, for the memory jog).

Providing a refreshing alternative to the Barbie universe of weirdness is the Sunshine Family, which I had forgotten all about until Shannon mentioned them. This family of sweet, simple, hippie-like dolls with long hair and bare feet came with a list of crafts to make for them, like a baby cradle made from a strawberry container. They had a bunch of accessories including a van and a “watch them grow” greenhouse. Ahem.

This doll looked like she was smoking some of what the Sunshine Family may have been growing in that greenhouse. Drowsy (thanks Madeline) said things like “I’m drowsy!” and “I want a drink of water!” when you pulled a string.

Another one from Sunny: Tuesday Taylor. You could turn her scalp to make her hair dark or blond, which as a dark-haired kid in the era of the bleached blond 70s I really liked. And, if memory serves, I owned the Suntan Tuesday mentioned here – you put her in the sun and she got “tan” and had little tan lines. What they didn’t tell you? This only worked once, and even then if you, say, put her next to a lamp because you just couldn’t wait, it really wouldn’t work.

Which of these would you love to see come back? What dolls of today will our kids be shaking their heads at?

The Sarah Palin Cabbage Patch Doll? Really?

SunnyChanel — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:58:00 GMT

The Cabbage Patch Kids aren’t kids anymore. They’re all grown up and just turned the ripe old age of twenty-five. And to celebrate, direct from the farm, four very special dolls have been born. In the spirit of the season, you can bid on one of the one-of-a-kind dolls created to resemble Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. Each doll was hand-painted and their clothing was hand tailored. The eBay auction starts on Thursday and ends November 4th, with all the proceeds to go to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Oddly creepy, strangely alluring, but hey, it’s for charity so an adoption of a candidate Cabbage Patch Kid goes from goofy and gratuitous to gracious and generous.

Via MSNBC