In recent times, we’ve seen gender-neutral dolls for children as the toy industry attempts to become more representative of society.
To get boys more involved in playing with dolls, toy manufacturer MGA Entertainment introduced male LOL Surprise dolls.
The brand, which has brought us classic toys such as Bratz, added the male counterpart to their LOL collection – those dolls that come in capsules.
To honour the surprise element of the toy, you don’t know which toy you’re going to get until you open it.
But when parents purchased the dolls for their children, they were surprised to find that the male dolls had genitals.
As with the female dolls, the boys have a hole in the area genitals would be.
But unlike the girls, they have a sculpted penis and testicles too, which has angered some mums and dads.
Annoyed parents took to social media to ask the brand why their toys were anatomically correct.
Some who took to Facebook and Twitter said it was ‘disgusting’ to have that detail.
One mum wrote on Facebook: ‘Very inappropriate for a toy that states ages 3+. We won’t be buying anything LOL again.’
Another tweeted: ‘Why the f*** do the male LOL Surprise dolls have male genitals!?!? And detailed af too!?!?’
One mum wrote: ‘I am infuriated about this! You do not include genitals on the female dolls, so why include genitals on the male dolls?
‘Considering the majority of your consumers are little girls, I suggest this change IMMEDIATELY. Such a HUGE fail; please keep the genital area FLAT.
‘This brand clearly has low moral; we will no longer be purchasing these dolls since they do not fit the standards I’ve made for my daughter.’
MGA Entertainment is, however, unmoving in its position and said the feature was added to be reflective of real life, but designed in a kid-appropriate way.
They commented on some of the criticisms on social media saying: ‘With the introduction of the ultra-rare Punk Bois the brand will now be universally gender-inclusive for both girls and boys.
‘For many years the toy industry has been moving towards dolls that are more “real” and anatomically correct.
‘We believe this trend is here to stay and we will continue to lead the charge in toys becoming more gender-inclusive.’
They added: ‘We think boys will be excited to have a doll that looks like them. Also, many of our girl fans have brothers of their own and will be excited their LOL Surprise dolls have a “real” brother, just like they do.’
Some parents were on board and couldn’t see the issue with accurate genitalia.
One wrote: ‘Parents are offended by body parts? There’s nothing offensive about this, teach your kids proper terms and that yes, there ARE differences.’
Others joked that the product delivered on its name and gave them a surprise.
What do you think?
MORE: Woman opens shop selling black dolls as a way to cope with grief
MORE: Mum writes diverse children’s books so her daughter can read about little girls who look like her
MORE: There’s now a Judge Barbie doll to encourage girls to explore different careers
source https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/10/parents-are-outraged-that-lol-surprise-dolls-have-genitals-11590355/
0 Comments