No barbies for Iranian girls

Posted Apr 30th 2008 12:02PM by Roger Sinasohn
Filed under: Alcohol & drugs, Media, Toys & games

Barbie, the iconic American fashion doll, is destroying the youth and the culture of Iran. So says Ghorban Ali Dori Najafabadi, anyway. Najafabadi is Iran's Prosecutor General and he wants restrictions on the importation of Western toys in order to preserve Iran's Islamic culture. Iran is, according to Najafabadi, the third biggest importer of toys in the world.

It's not just Barbie, of course; Batman, Spiderman, and Harry Potter are subjects of Najafabadi's ire as well. "The irregular importation of such toys, which unfortunately arrive through unofficial sources and smuggling, is destructive culturally and a social danger," he wrote in a letter to Iranian Vice President Parviz Davoudi.

Iran requires women to be very conservative in their dress and Barbie, of course, does not meet that expectation. There have been attempts to create alternatives that do conform to Islamic law, but they have not been successful. "We need to find substitutes to ward off this onslaught, which aims at children and young people whose personality is in the process of being formed," Mr Najafabadi said.

I'm not sure if it is possible to prevent the influx of Western culture or even if they should even try, but I suspect ultimately it will be the children that will decide what sort of toys they really want to play with.
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Reader Comments

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1. I have a great respect for other cultures and religions but come on... What little girl would want to play with a doll that has just its eyes visible?
Sorry I was just trying to picture what kind of toy he wouldn't find offensive.

Posted at 3:31PM on Apr 30th 2008 by Adriene

2. I actually have sympathy for this viewpoint. I don't think Barbie is good for any children. Marketing of things to kids undermines parents, and unfortunately we are used to this in the US. I don't think it's right that kids should decide what they will play with. They don't have the maturity to understand all the implications of a skimpily clad doll with makeup and an impossible body type. Parents should have the right to control what products their kids are exposed to.

Posted at 8:22PM on Apr 30th 2008 by anon

3. Sorry I was just trying to picture what kind of toy he wouldn't find offensive.

Posted at 7:42PM on May 1st 2008 by Addy

4. This article makes me wonder what toys Iran would export to the western world...

Posted at 5:32AM on May 1st 2008 by Dashin Fashion Children\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

5. Probably a beheading kit, complete with a stuffed goat to practice on.

Posted at 5:23PM on May 1st 2008 by ImNoDhimmi

6. I have some sympathy to the view point too... except I'm troubled by "anon"s comments that it's unfair to market to children because the parents should be able to control what toys their children play with. Parents ARE the ones who ultimately control what toys their children play with (at least in their own house) whether it's through saying, "No, you can't have that," or whether it's from the INABILITY to say no. Parents should be the ones making the decisions and if they aren't, it's not really the fault of marketers.

Posted at 11:28AM on May 1st 2008 by Meagan

7. I agree Meagan. Parents need to assert control over what toys come into their home. I know that in my home, we approve any and all toys, or they go back to the store to exchange it for a more appropriate toy. Of course, appropriate may vary from home to home.

Posted at 5:45PM on May 1st 2008 by diane

8. IT'S A DOLL PEOPLE. A TOY. GET OVER IT.

Posted at 3:33PM on May 1st 2008 by Kat

9. hitler did the same thing

Posted at 3:46PM on May 1st 2008 by c

10. Iran would rather let their children play with bombs and blow themselves up.That is how sick and twisted they are!

Posted at 3:47PM on May 1st 2008 by Courtney

11. not all iranian's are terrorist people who think so are just close-minded bigots!

Posted at 4:23PM on May 1st 2008 by Nora

12. Maybe we should fly over and drop about 100,000,000. (That's one hundred million) Barbies, Spidermans, Harry Potters, etc.
While they are busy looking for them all, let the Iraqis invade them for sending all those Iranian thugs to their country.

Posted at 3:52PM on May 1st 2008 by wood

13. Instead of tinkertoys......they play with terror toys. No time for play when you have to learn all the terror tactics that daddy and his dad before him had to learn. Of course, they were both dead before 30.

Posted at 4:01PM on May 1st 2008 by The Ween

14. wow.. thats really funny...
i am ashamed that we have such sterotypical and close-minded people here. If Iran has decided not to allow barbie dolls that is no one elses business, and i personally feel that barbies are not the best of toys.. but if someone want to classify an inanimate object as a role model then that would be their first problem.

Posted at 7:24PM on May 1st 2008 by arizo

15. I guess "Burkha Barbie" didn't test well in the market.

Posted at 4:12PM on May 1st 2008 by Leslie

16. dont give them barbies raise them with guns an pipe bombs its the islomic way

Posted at 4:13PM on May 1st 2008 by ms.r

17. wow your even more of an idiot than i thought i mean you dont even know how to spell islam. here let me help you, it's i-s-l-a-m-i-c ok you got it now?

Posted at 5:32PM on May 1st 2008 by jan

18. actually its not the islamic way that would be like saying being gay is the ways of christians and raping children the way of catholics... and also, Islamic is spelled with an "a".

Posted at 7:27PM on May 1st 2008 by arizo

19. I think Barbie is fine but its those Bratz dolls that need to be gotten rid of. The Bratz dolls teach the kids to dress in the smallest clothes they can find, I mean seriously, do people honestly want their kids to dress like that?

Posted at 4:26PM on May 1st 2008 by Rebecca

20. I agree..Barbie is fine. Besides, she was the first of many dolls that little girls look up too...but Brazt Dolls are horrible. They are not a good doll for little girls to play with. THey should be re-named "Slutz".

Posted at 4:31PM on May 1st 2008 by kelli

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