Video Barbie Gets FBI Warning: 'Possible Child Pornography Production Method'

Beware of Barbie.

That seems to be the message from the FBI after an internal memo reportedly leaked from the agency's Sacramento field office this week.

The memo (PDF) warns that Barbie Video Girl, a doll with a built-in video camera capable of recording for about 30 minutes, is a "possible child pornography production method."

There have been no reported incidents since the toy was first released in July. Washington television station NWCN received a statement from Mattel, the toy's manufacturer, in response to the memo:

The FBI is not reporting that anything has happened. Steve Dupre from the FBI Sacramento field office has confirmed there have been no incidents of this doll being used as anything other than its intent. Mattel products are designed with children and their best interests in mind. Many of Mattel's employees are parents themselves and we understand the importance of child safety - it is our number one priority.

The FBI memo, dated November 30, seems to be a few months behind TechCrunch, where reviewer Paul Carr called the product "child abuse waiting to happen" during a review at the time of the product's release. He described it as "creepy," then read from a press release from the PR firm that sent Tech Crunch the toy: "Unsuspecting subjects won't know that Barbie is watching their every move."

"This is for frickin' pedophiles!" Carr exclaimed.

While the product's capabilities may give some parents second thoughts, it appears to be a hot item this holiday season. A reporter for CBS 13 in Sacramento found that a local WalMart was sold out of the item, and also said that it was sold out online.

KIRO in Washington reports that the FBI has had cases of child abuse involving Barbie dolls as well as cases involving hidden cameras, which makes them worried about the combination in this particular toy.

Comments

[kenrynne]

04:20 PM on 12/07/2010

Classic over reporting here. Fashion dolls don't hurt people, people hurt people. Besides, Barbie is cooperating with the FBI and IRS and is 'wired' to record Ken's legendary malfeasance - which is why after all these years, she is still working.

If it's a scandal you want, look into cost overruns and cost-plus contracts in the entire GI Joe action figure range.

[GREATerSOCIETY]

05:07 PM on 12/06/2010

Sorry I'm not buying this. PDF is cut off (?!) so attribution is doubtful. HuffPo I really, really hope your 'source' of the document wasn't that byline reporter you quoted. This looks really, really fake.

[gregory57]

12:11 PM on 12/06/2010

There have been all kinds of cameras imbedded in stuffed animals on the market for years. The relative over-reporting of this story makes me feel as though there's an unstated agenda.

[mkwrk2]

10:46 AM on 12/05/2010

Anything might be used to something.

So what, terminate production of notebooks because it is a sure tool for deeds variously-not-so-legal as downloading, for instance, tunes / movies sometimes somewhere is?

Michael Kerjman

[Old Claudius]

08:44 PM on 12/04/2010

OOPs, I came here by mistake, having only looked at the picture, not read the headline.

I thought the story was going to be about the New TSA Barbie Accessory.

A little body-scanner accessory to make it possible for a child to play airport security person with her/his Barbie.

you know, to get children used to the scanners they will encounter in airports, to help them to learn how they work and what they do, to recognize how important they are and how they are important, to the security all Americans expect and deserve in their airports (and maybe increase sales of Barbies, breaking her over to be a little boy toy, too...).

[Ken White]

04:14 PM on 12/04/2010

It is totally obvious what's going on here. Barbie wants to keep an eye on that shiny skinned, albeit hopelessly androgynous, run-about Ken. The two-timing philanderer, full of himself since Barbie turned 50, has been seen out and about with a who's who of petroleum based beauties (who can't be named here for fear of reprisal from BP). She's collecting the video for an upcoming episode of Cheaters.

[MagicalPossibilities]

10:55 PM on 12/04/2010

LOL! I'm guessing she discovers he's cheating on her with G.I. Joe...

[NC4Obama]

12:52 AM on 12/04/2010

This is a internal memo, most likely to alert people hunting down pedophiles that this toy is out there so they don't miss it when they run across it. You cant even imagine all the places pedophiles hide stuff.

[Axekick]

12:34 AM on 12/04/2010

When I first heard of this I caught the end of the story on television while reading something else and assumed I didn't hear it correctly. Can anyone tell me any reasonable explanation for having a hidden camera embedded into a Barbie Doll?

A Nanny Cam monitors an entire room for the safety of a child/children where as there would be no means by which to control the angle or perspective of this camera. I cannot think of any sound reason for its existence . . ?

[JordeeVee]

03:00 AM on 12/04/2010

I don't believe its purpose is as a Nanny Cam. My guess is that it's so girls can film stuff, be creative, etc.

[Sol76]

12:16 AM on 12/04/2010

Seems like a toy designed to make children comfortable in-front of cameras for their future dream careers as reality TV stars.

[SirCoolBreeze]

10:36 PM on 12/03/2010

Porno Barbie? I thought that was Jenna Jameson...

[GerryS]

09:18 PM on 12/03/2010

that photo looks like "Barbie" went through a TSA full body scan at the airport------

[Phranx]

06:40 PM on 12/03/2010

Why is anyone still buying Barbie for their children, is the bigger question. Just give them a Bilemia starter kit and a book on 'How to Please Your Man'....same difference.

[CuteAndVicious]

12:16 AM on 12/07/2010

Hmm... something is not right here...

[Matt Herren]

01:01 PM on 12/09/2010

Thankfully... in America, people are free to make up their own minds.

[toyportfolio]

03:37 PM on 12/03/2010

Our independent consumer organization, toyportfolio.com, has looked at all of the new video cameras for kids this season. The category is one of the hottest of the year -with video cameras designed for all ages and interests. While it's true that any toy with a video camera could be used inappropriately in the wrong hands, it's not clear to me why the Barbie camera is any more dangerous than a video camera that's placed into a spy watch or a toy helicopter-both also available this year. If you really want to discuss the issue of Barbie Video Girl, the conversation should really focus on the interesting placement of the camera on Barbie's chest.

[Chuck Beikert]

02:35 PM on 12/03/2010

Pedophiles, lamentably, have brains. They will figure out how to get their kicks whether Mattel builds them a Spy-Barbie or not.
The responsibility for our children's safety is ours. Personally, my toddlers have NEVER been out of our sight in their first three years. When the time comes for them to leave the nest without us for short periods of time we will know all there is to know about who/what/where. It's really all we can do.
To wax pragmatic for a moment, if our real goal was to eliminate the possibility of any hardship befalling any child then we simply would not procreate. We do, however, and that means that we believe that life itself is worth experiencing. We create newer versions of ourselves in order to share our knowledge and perspective in the hopes of furthering the human race.
When you get down to it though, life is hardship and pain puntuated by moments of joy and satisfaction. When something comes along and punches you in the nose it's a test. If something happens to one of our children it's a test of our mettle as human beings as to how we react and use the opprtunity to both teach and learn.
I hope that I never have to deal with some of the issues we all read about in the news, but if I do how I continue will determine the validity of the way I lived before it occurred.

[Angelus2007]

02:16 PM on 12/03/2010

That have had "nannycam" teddybears and other items like that, I don't see the big difference.