New York City Parents Find Nothing Stylish About New Tattooed ‘Barbie’ Doll
Body Ink All Over 'Tokidoki' Seen As Sending A Very Bad Message To Children
October 20, 2011 11:30 PM
Tokidoki Barbie (Photo: CBS 2)
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.
Silver said Tokidoki is just the latest in a long line of high-fashion collector items meant for adults, notkids.
“These are high-priced dolls. They make dolls after big-time fashion designers like Bob Mackey, so these are dolls that kids generally don’t see,” Silver said.
Many parents said they’d like to keep it that way.
Things to consider:
It is interesting to note that although the Barbies are not being marketed towards children, they have still managed to cause such a controversy. Would it be appropriate for young girls to be able to buy this doll as a toy? What does this say about our society and the images that are portrayed to the younger generations? How different with the youngsters of today feel about products such as these that will be marketed toward their own children?
Link for original article: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/10/20/new-york-city-parents-find-nothing-stylish-about-new-tattooed-barbie-doll/
I honestly believe this is a market test. If parents would have reacted positively to their children getting barbie dolls with tattoos, they would be all of the shelves at Wal-Mart. Sadly, I do not think that this is far from happening. Right now it seems shocking, but before we know it, this will seep into the children's market. The adults that do buy these will not be able to keep them from their children. I think that children are way too impressionable for barbie dolls with tattoos to be acceptable because they will do what they think is cool and use that to fit in.
ReplyDeleteIn my own opinion, getting a tattoo is a personal decision and so is buying a doll with a tattoo on it also a decision. If a parent doesn't want their child to have a doll with a tattoo, don't buy it. It is that simple. Some people have parents that have plenty of tattoos and they would not mind having a doll that have tattoos. So I don't think there should be any controversy because parents are not forced to buy these dolls for their children.
ReplyDeleteI believe that if parents do not want their kids to be influenced by this barbies that have tattoos, they should just not buy it for their kids. I think they need to understand that there is only so much you can protect your kids from. ALl you can really do it teach your kids to the best of your abilities and then hope that somewhere along the line they will remember the lessons that they learned from their parents. I don't feel like this is any different from the fake tattoos that little kids put on their body. If you don't want your kids to have access to certain things then don't give it too them. Parents who make it into a big deal and want to get things banned are more interested in interfering in how other people raise their kids.
ReplyDeleteI understand that parents are worried about the messages that toys send to their children. However, I think that buying a girl a Barbie in the first place is sending her bad messages about what women should be. Barbie's physical characteristics aren't very realistic, and set up an unattainable ideal in little girls minds from the time they're very young. In addition, Barbie's persona reinforces the stereotype that girls ought to be into makeup and fashion. Barbies in recent years have started to get away from that mentality by introducing doctor Barbies and firewoman Barbies, but the underlying cultural perception is still there. People still think of Barbie as a ditzy, materialistic blonde. I don't want my daughter to play with a toy that tells her that that's how she ought to act, tattoos or no tattoos. Maybe I'll get her some legos or something.
ReplyDeleteShoot, I think this barbie looks pretty sexy. If I were a little girl who had the means (rich parents) to collect barbies, I would be whining my high pitch, annoying, squeaky voice to raspness in order to get this barbie. It's females like this that get all the fame and glory. Isn't that the purpose in this life? This barbie is wassup
ReplyDeleteI think it is true that no matter what preemptive action parents can make for their children, the influence of the media is still going to have an effect. Just because they do not buy barbies for their daughters does not mean there will not be any commercial advertising for them. The most important action parents can have is not protesting the release of these dolls. Think of how it might make other girls feel if their best friend has an expensive toy that they can't get. This is perhaps only more enticing to little children than selling it like an average barbie toy. The principles behind not liking tattoos should be explained to their daughters to help resist the media's influence.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that they claimed this barbie to be directed towards adults when in reality this Barbie will end up in the hands of a child. Barbie icon has never been directed towards adults with it's fairy princesses, and mermaids so what makes them think that this one Barbie, tattoos and all, won't attract the younger generation. The creators of Barbie would be foolish if they truly thought that tatoo Barbie wouldnt have an effect on children. If they are going to come out with something like that for adults, don't put it under a name that has always been meant for children. The end. - Abigaille Aguiar
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to me that adults always react strongly to the extreme aspects of toys, games, or any other form of entertainment meant for children but not the little aspects of those items. As someone else mentioned, Barbie dolls in general are bad role models. Barbie dolls idealize the notion that women should be materialistic and skinny. I remember as a little kid (and even sometimes now) being called a Barbie because I was skinny and blonde, just like Barbie: I hated, and still hate, when people do that because I don't want to be anything like Barbie! But adults never realize that Barbies are creating horrible role models because that is the way they were raised. But adults will only notice the aspects of Barbie dolls that they believe are not of the "norm" of Barbies, like a Baribe with tattoos.
ReplyDelete-Samantha Pehrson
I feel like this Barbie will send the wrong message to girls that in order for them to feel beautiful they need to have a tattoo. These things really do affect children even though some say that if they do not want the toy for the child they should not buy if. I feel like it still has an affect on them even if they do not buy it because this toy is representing how the media is portraying what beautiful is. Barbies in the first place are sending little kids the wrong message about having to be perfect and skinny and to not have unique things about them. -Darla Miles
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with all the posts that say that this Barbie is sending out wrong messages. Until someone pointed out that Barbies are also attacking the traditional idea of beauty (too skinny and blonde), I had forgoten that. This goes to show that sometimes we process and store ideas subconsiously. This is very dangerous especially for little girls who might not realize that they only want to be super skinny and blonde and have tattos because of their toys.
ReplyDeleteBarbie has given little girls the ideal image of a woman-- skinny, tall, beautiful. Tattoos will only make this image worse. Kids often aspire to be this-- the images they see on tv, movies, and toys they play with (which are often models of shows, media). I agree this doll gives a bad image for little girls to play with.
ReplyDeleteI agree with some of the top comments that if you don't want your kid to see/play with this doll, don't buy it. It's that simple. Secondly, I was wildly amused by the guy who said he thought she was sexy. I guess he can buy one!
ReplyDeleteLastly, I have always disagreed with the notion that Barbies lower self-esteem. I played with Barbies from the age of 5-14. I am a brunette, I am of an average weight with a very flat chest, and my blonde skinny barbie dolls never made me feel like I needed to be blonde, or skinny, or have great boobs. If anything Barbie taught me that I didn't need a man to fulfill my life, could have any career I wanted as long as I got a good education and should have strong relationships with my many friends. And if you go back to the history of Barbie, you will find that that is exactly what her inventor intended for her to represent. In a time when women were strongly misrepresented, Barbie was a beacon of hope and strength for femininity.
Lastly (sorry this is a soap-box for Barbie...) Barbies are NOT just blonde. They come in every skin color, hair color and career choice so that they can be relate-able to every woman. Why shouldn't there be one with tattoos? There are people in the world with tattoos.
The idea that they are all "blonde and ditsy" is just a stereotype.
There are Barbie dolls with darker skin and darker hair to represent different ethnicities, but I’ve also noticed that there are no fat Barbie dolls or flat-chested Barbie dolls. What kind of message does that send out to young girls who play with Barbies? Barbie dolls are always tall with long skinny legs, a tiny waist, and huge boobies! Girls who play with Barbie dolls play with them, dress them up, etc… it sends a message that a Barbie doll is what a beautiful women should look like. I mean, I know girls who are called “Barbie” because they are skinny, blonde, and beautiful. What does that say about the rest of us?
ReplyDeleteAs for the tattooed Barbie, I don’t think it is a good idea to have them on the market because of the way Barbie dolls already influence the mindset of young girls. Even if they don’t own the Barbie, they will see it on the shelves in the stores, on commercials, in Ads, etc.
Shelise Ikari