A couple of weeks back, many parents were disturbed to discover that Hasbro’s Trolls World Tour Poppy doll came with a ‘secret’ button between its legs which made giggling and groaning noises when pushed.
Hasbro has since explained that “the doll was designed to making a laughing sound, but we recognize the placement of the sensor may be perceived as inappropriate” and pulled the doll from stores.
In light of this, many parents have started paying extra close attention to the toys their children are playing with.
The newest toy to come under fire is the LOL Surprise doll.
The earlier versions of the doll would either cry, spit or wet themselves when they were put in water. Then, the company upped their game and made them change colour when they were submerged in water. This would often reveal undergarments.
However, now many parents have discovered that some models of the popular dolls come complete with fairly detailed genitalia, or wear g-string style bikini bottoms – and this is causing quite the uproar.
Many took to Facebook and Twitter to slam the products for having a realistic outline of a penis and testicles, whereas the girls’ version just has a heart-shaped hole.
Over on Twitter, more complaints have poured in.
It didn’t stop there:
Many parents are sharing concerns online, claiming that the dolls, their anatomically correct genitalia and their skimpy underclothing is grooming children and forcing the concept of sexuality on them from a very early age.
However, speaking to the Daily Mail, the company behind the LOL Surprise Dolls reveal they have no plans to change the design of the dolls, and points out that the presence of genitalia is signalled on the packaging.
“All of our LOL Surprise boy dolls have been (and will continue to be) anatomically correct,” MGA Entertainment CEO and Founder Isaac Larian told DailyMail.com in a statement.
“We believe in the importance of clarity and authenticity with our products and our consumers, and this approach has been carried through all of our products over the past 40 years. In the doll category, anatomically correct dolls have been available for many years. We currently have a notification on all packaging, and even on our web copy that states the LOL Surprise! boys are anatomically correct.”
