The doll was pushed to the back of shelves after parents started asking questions about where Midge’s partner was and why getting pregnant needed to be promoted to a pre-pubescent audience. The sexist book was eventually pulled after public outcry.īarbie’s best friend ‘Midge’ was created to teach little girls about where babies came from. Computer Engineer Barbie came with a storybook which pictured her managing to infect computers with viruses and being unable to code, ultimately having to get help from her two male friends.
What seemed to be a great initiative at the time was once again foiled by Barbie’s makers, Mattel, who seemed to forget to think through the entire package. What’s so wrong with little girls trying to emulate their dolls stripping down and posing provocatively for a bunch of men? Oh, right. Posing unapologetically, she caused a stir when people claimed it was promoting a negative image for their daughters to aspire to. Mmm… no comment.īarbie was chosen to be on the cover of Sport Illustrated to celebrate the magazine’s 50 year anniversary.
Young girls could watch Skipper ‘grow up’ in front of their eyes, with the twist of her arm, Skipper’s legs and waist grew along with her breasts. The Teen Talk dolls were a 1992 creation that saw Barbie equipped with a bunch of phrases including “Will we ever have enough clothes?”, “I love shopping!”, “Do you have a crush on anyone?” and, the most controversial of all, “Math Class is tough!” Understandably outraged parents saw these phrases as grooming young girls to me materialistic and avoid their studies.īarbie’s younger sister, Skipper caused some serious waves when this version of her was released. It seemed nobody at either brand realized that ‘Oreo’ is a derogatory term used to describe an African American person who ‘acts white’. What was meant to be a sweet collaboration between Oreo Cookies and Mattel’s most popular doll ended up being a Barbie that was surrounded with mountains of controversy.
Perhaps not the most appropriate toy for a 10 year-old girl… Whether you think she is meant to be edgy or sexy, none can deny she just looks eerily similar to a dominatrix. Not too sure what Mattel were going with here when they designed this Barbie. In 1992, Mattel had a minor slip-up when they created a Barbie that came with stick on tattoos. Parents were concerned when Barbie came out with this less conservative look as they believed it would inspire their children to one day have tattoos of their own. A nice gesture, until 17 year-old, Kiersti Johnson found out the wheelchair didn’t fit in the elevator of Barbie’s dream house. In an effort to become more diverse and inclusive, Mattel introduced us to Becky, who came with a pink wheelchair.
#Growing up skipper controversy how to#
This not-so-age-appropriate doll came equipped with a little book, titled How To Lose Weight, (because, let’s face it, that’s what every 10 year-old talks about with her gal pals at a sleepover) which, when opened up contains the gem piece of advice, ‘Don’t eat’ and a set of scales, permanently set at a ghostly 110lbs. Looking back, it’s mind-boggling to consider how Mattel let this 1965 Barbie come about.
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