Move over tickle me Elmo, looks like there's a new toy on the block making people crazy. Only crazy in the outraged direction. You thought Barbie was getting a bit too edgy, you haven't seen anything yet.
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — The newest Barbie doll to hit store shelves is sparking controversy.
The doll sports several tattoos, and some parents say it’s sending the wrong message to their kids, reports CBS 2’s Kathryn Brown.
Meet “Tokidoki Barbie,” the newest addition to the iconic doll collection.
She’s edgy — with pink hair, sky-high stilettos and a cactus-covered pet named “Bastardino.”
But it’s her body art that has some parents on edge.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for little girls to be having Barbies with tattoos all over,” parent Reye Griffith said Thursday.
Tokidoki’s upper body is covered with exotic-looking tattoos, including a large flower covering her chest and a tiger curls up her neck.
“I think it sends all the wrong signals for young girls,” said Mitti Hansen, mother to a 4-year-old girl.
Tokidoki is not the first Barbie to sport tattoos. In 2009, Mattel unveiled “Totally Stylin’ Barbie,” but her tattoos were stick-on and removable.
Tokidoki’s are inked on.
“Maybe if a little girl sees that she also wants a tattoo and I think it’s not good,” parent Latifa Zyne said.
But body art is a growing trend. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, 1 in 4 Americans ages 18 to 50 now has at least one tattoo.
Tattoo artist Pablo Jimenez said Tokidoki is just a reflection of a more accepting attitude toward body ink.
“Tattoos, right now, is everywhere. It’s just about art. It’s nothing bad,” Jimenez said.
Tokidoki is considered a “collectible” and retails for $50 — much more expensive than basic Barbie dolls. Mattel said the doll is marketed more toward adult collectors than to children. Tokidoki is a limited edition doll — named after the fashion line of the same name. It is sold only on Barbie collector’s website.
“You will not find this in any toy store,” said Jim Silver, Editor-In-Chief of TimeToPlayMag.com.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s not for kids. It’s out there, “ says Marianne Szymanski, mother and founder of Toy Tips, an independent toy researcher with testing centers all over the country. “The argument that you’ll get from the toy companies is: 'Oh, it’s for adults.' But those companies need to know what parents’ concerns are.“
But the Tokidoki Barbie’s tattoos are permanent, which some parents fear will inspire kids to scar their bodies in permanent and (to some) unsightly ways.
I_O_U_Nothing 16 hours ago in reply to The Crafty Angel
How in the world is getting a TRAMP STAMP "honoring" your kids?...All you're doing is embarrassing them by showing the world that their MIDDLE AGED Mom is having a MID LIFE CRISIS.
Low self esteem is always so sad
PS: My business has a strict " NO TRAMP STAMPS " policy !
One problem I have with this article is that the people in it are generally bad, terrible people at the core of it. Let's take this quote from it.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for little girls to be having Barbies with tattoos all over,” parent Reye Griffith said Thursday.
They should have just stopped that line a little shorter than they did and leave it at
They should have just stopped that line a little shorter than they did and leave it at
Even worse is what kind of damaged adult specimen collects barbie dolls anyway? Was your youth that tainted and destroyed that you're still playing with barbies in your middle ages when you can actually afford a piece of plastic doll that cost $50.
Do you know how much food that can provide? Jesus! And don't think I'm letting the people protest this get off easy. People actually have a "NO TRAMP STAMP" policy? Really? How fucking conservative do you have to be in order to become some Nazi dictator as to what someone can and can't have on them.
If you think about it, unless you're looking directly at their ass and happen to notice the tramp stamp on their back during a moment when you're shooting to spot some whale tale, then you really wouldn't know if someone had a tramp stamp or not.
Besides that, is it really a tramp stamp? I'll be honest, I dated someone who had a tattoo on their lower back and I didn't consider them to be anything remotely close to a tramp. In fact, their standards were pretty high. The tattoo was a fad. Realize that and don't assume someone is just very thoughtful of the person giving it to them that they'll put art on their back in order for their gentlemen caller to be more entertained.
In the end you really are better off getting rid of all the gender role toys and making a net neutral sort of play thing that will teach morals and social skills without instilling the whole notion that barbie needs a new dram car and home or Ken gets dumped.
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