Tokidoki Tattooed Barbie Causes Controversy Among Some Parents

Barbie takes on permanent ink, and this time the doll's tattoos aren't removable.

The tokidoki Barbie, designed by the "Los Angeles-based fashion brand", boasts a pink bob, tattooed skin, and cross bones stitched on an off-the-shoulder sweater.

The tattoos are permanently inked on the doll, unlike the 2009 controversial "Totally Stylin' Tattoos" Barbie that came with stickers for children to place on the toy.

Some parents aren't too thrilled about tokidoki Barbie, stating the doll's fashion sense and upper body tattoos set a bad example for young children.

"If I give it to [my daughter] she will think [tattoos are] okay. She may want to go get some," Virginia resident Bill Smith told ABC 13 News.

"It's teaching kids to want tattoos before they are old enough to dress like that," Virginia resident Kevin Buckner also told the station.

However, others are pointing out that Barbie's new look is better than the alternative.

"I much prefer tattoos to unrealistic proportions and the message that the most important thing is to be pretty and get a boy. Good for you Mattel for making a doll a little more like the rest of us. I consider it a tiny step in the right direction," stated a comment featured on Babble blog, 'Strollerderby.'

Although the new Barbie might be causing some parents to shake their heads in disbelief, toymaker Mattel states the doll is not marketed to all audiences.

"The tokidoki Barbie is a perfect example of a limited-edition doll sold through select retail locations," Mattel said in a statement, My FOX Chicago reports. (Watch the station's report above.)

The tokidokie Barbie retails for $50 on a Barbie Collector website. The toy's description reads as follows:

tokidoki Barbie doll is always ready for cutting-edge fashion! She pops on a pink miniskirt, logo leggings and black top with signature skull heart and bones, carries a large bag from the brand, then adds bracelets, a belt, and sky-high sparkly silvery shoes! This funky fashionista features trendy tattoos and a pink bob. With cactus friend, Bastardino, by her side, she's ready for fun in fashion-forward form!

What do you think about Barbie's new look? Tell us by voting in our poll below.

Quick Poll

Would you buy the new doll for your child?

Absolutely. It's just a toy.

Not sure yet.

Never. I don't like the tattoos.

Not applicable. I don't let my child play with Barbie anyway.

Share your vote on Facebook so your friends can take this poll

Comments

[readernumber17]

01:08 PM on 10/27/2011

At least she's wearing more clothes than Brittney Spears and Hannah Montana - who are both "Role Models" to the younger generation.

As a tattooed woman with a professional career, I have no regrets, have not been limited in any way, there have been no "consequences for my actions", and I have built my career with hard work, professionalism, and an education, NOT on how I look. In my generation, a person without a tattoo is the exception. This is the norm, and there is no reason to stereotype that individuals with tattoos are low-lives working in dead-end jobs.

You'd be surprised how many full sleeves are under those dress shirts, ties, and suits. Seriously.

[Dheffernan]

09:37 PM on 10/24/2011

No, I would not buy a $50 collectors barbie for my daughter to play with. considering she is only 4 and doesn't really get fashion, (today she wore pink and orange poladot tights with a black and white striped dress,) and thinks all tattoos are removable in the bath tub, there is also the issue with my 2yr old ripping it's head off, and using it as a speed bump for his cars.

[Mark Freburg]

03:02 AM on 10/24/2011

Huff Post like most media doesn't get it. Mattel makes Barbie both as a toy and as a collectible for adults. This particular one is a collectible (you'd think the price would be a giveaway) and thus the fuss about how this doll might affect children or whether it should even matter to concerned parents is really meaningless. If a media employee did some research they might find it is pretty easy to find which dolls are intended as playline and which are not. Very few toy stores sell Barbie Collectibles; most of these are sold by doll stores with adult collectors as clientèle. But can you expect a the media to fathom that out? Or will they simply dredge up the same type of stories every couple years and run with them?

Ah well, it's irrelevant, as these stories make for good copy--they are controversial, and that gets ratings.

[fairportfan]

12:21 AM on 10/23/2011

Heh. I remember the controversy when they brought out a Barbie version of DC Comics' Black Canary - complete with fishnets and leather jacket; people were screaming about the "dominatrix" Barbie, despite the fact that BC is portrayed as rather enthusiastically normal in her sexuality.
.
Bu the same people never noticed the Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy DC Barbies - a pair of lipstick lesbians living together in the comics. Sometimes.

[tirsden]

10:05 PM on 10/22/2011

Hah, I scare Faux News. For over a year now I've collected and "played with" Asian ball-jointed dolls. I'm 33, and I know people from preteens to beyond their 50's who love the hobby to death. Yeah, go ahead and make fun of us, Fox. At least we know the difference between fantasy and reality. We just happen to enjoy fantasy, that's what it's there for.

As to the actual doll, I was disappointed to see it's already sold out (and being scalped at over $300 now). Plus, the prototype is much prettier than the actual product, which is a bit of a let-down. Ah well, $50 saved that'll stay in the BJD fund. XD

[Backhome77]

08:14 PM on 10/22/2011

Come on Huff Post. The fact that you're regurgitating a story from Fox "News" tells me right off the bat that there is little to no merit. This thing is a $50 collectors item not a $15 kids toy. But just for arguments sake, let's say it was. So what? A lot of parents these days have tattoos. Why wouldn't they want to buy their kids a Barbie with tattoos, and why wouldn't the kids want a Barbie that looks more like their parents? Now, I can see why some parents wouldn't want to get this for their kids, and they have a simple recourse. Don't buy it. Done and done.

[ohlalamomala]

07:58 PM on 10/22/2011

THE JOURNALISTS/NEWS PEOPLE ARE MISSING THE POINT!!!!

It is a $50 collector BARBIE! It is not for kids!

The poll is completely misleading! It is not a toy! It is a collectors item!

[tamaya]

09:15 AM on 10/22/2011

If you don't like it don't buy it. You are the parent after all. I think it is a great doll, not everyone walks around in designer fashions nor do they want to. Maybe my city is just open minded but I don't know anyone who has a hard time getting a job because of hair colour, piercings, or tattoos. I work for the public library and one of the head librarians had quite a few. Everyone treated her with the same respect as the one wearing the sweater set. After all it is just a doll.

[Natalie Goldstock]

12:42 PM on 10/21/2011

Unfortunately, it reflects the reality that many young women are sporting body art in a flamboyant style all over their bodies. It is a personal choice and like anything else, there are consequences. As far as the Barbie goes, I think the emphasis on vanity, whether it be the hair, makeup, figure, etc. is the wrong focus for children. That this is a representation of the "ideal" girl or woman is not the message I would want to convey to my children. Frankly, she looks like a hooker; and while that may be considered an honest profession by some, it is a totally inappropriate concept for young children. We are surrounded by pop culture celebrities of all ethnicities, and you know who they are, that are so cinched, botoxed, lifted, enhanced, lipo'd, etc., real beauty is just an old fashioned idea. That said, no, I would not buy this toy for anyone maybe except as a joke for an adult.

[jonesenterimail]

12:23 PM on 10/21/2011

Barbie is everybody but herself. She has about 2000 altar egos.
This year she's sporting the Nicki Minaj. Don't like it? You still have1999 more images to choose from.

[catriley]

11:36 AM on 10/21/2011

I think that a tattooed doll is great for little girls, as long as you're sure that they have aspirations to become a barista, a bartender, a roller rink star, or a metal artist. Tatt-removal is the #1 plastic surgery procedure right now. They all in the category of "seemed like a good idea when I was 19." All the little lemmings watch tv and get inked up, without having a clue how it will affect the rest of their life when they grow up. I've known personally, many people who have found that they are now locked out of careers they NOW want, because they chose to permanently mark themselves before they had a clue what their life would be like. Seriously.

Why in the world would you glamorize something like that to kids? Everything that a kid sees and hears is LEARNING. Their brains are developing until they're in their early 20s. That's why kids of smokers smoke, kids of drinkers usually drink, and teens want to dress like a rap star.

Some hipster parents are trying SO hard to make sure people think that their child reflects their own tastes, that I actually saw baby onesies and toddler dresses with logos for Lamb of God, and other hardcore bands on them. Really? These are little human beings, not a small dog that you put a rhinestone collar on and carry in your purse to get attention.

[Dede Eagleburger]

11:00 PM on 10/21/2011

Here's a crazy idea. Talk to your kids. Give them alternatives. Let them play with dolls, but also read, play music, play with friends, learn to help others, etc, etc....

If you saw the condition my daughter's Barbie dolls are in right now, tattoos would be the least of their worries :)

[Dede Eagleburger]

10:18 AM on 10/21/2011

The commentary on this thread has been really revealing. It's 2011 and people are still extremely quick to judge others based on their appearance. How will we ever get past this...? :(

[catriley]

11:40 AM on 10/21/2011

Tatts are still considering the trappings of the lower class.. have been for decades. And unfortunately, in the real world, you'll find yourself locked out of most careers if you're tatted up.

Honestly? I don't understand the need to mark yourself up? What is missing in people's lives that they have to do that? Seriously... getting very visible tatts pretty much locks you into a place in life forever, unless you have the guts and the dough to have them all removed. I've known far too many people in their 20s who are finding that the ink fad has pretty much cut them off from the life they really wanted, once they grew up.

[Dede Eagleburger]

12:06 PM on 10/21/2011

I understand what you're trying to say. I would never have one somewhere very visible, for that reason (especially in my profession!).
There's going to be that part of it, sure. What I don't get though, is the part I've seen shown on this thread, where people are immediately putting these horrible labels on her just because of the tats. If they can do that so quickly to a doll, what does that say about how they treat human beings??

[Itattooz Portal]

03:55 AM on 10/21/2011

I suppose it can have a significant impact on kids mind to get a tattoo

[TimaraeVezina]

03:05 AM on 10/21/2011

Pathetic! It's just a doll! Parents should be more worried about what their kids are watching in movies and on tv. Wow I'm sorry but some parents are stupid and they are really the ones promoting a negative image to their children basically saying if you ever get tattoos then something is wrong with you. First of all it's supposed to be a barbie for ADULTS so who the hell cares. Don't buy it for your children if you're so worried. Second, regular barbie isn't something to be proud of in the first place. Third, there was a lady that said since the barbie has tattoos, they might as well put a cigarrete and beer bottle in her hand and that is ridiculous! Tattoos are a way to express yourself, doesn't have anything to do with drinking and smoking! I think this barbie is one of the coolest and best looking barbies out there. Children, tattoos are OKAY. It's just ink, geez. You wonder why children end up being bullies and have self image problems, well so many parents are in todays world. It's sick. Aren't parents supposed to set good examples for their children? Acting like people and a BARBIE with tattoos is the end of the world and saying it's a bad image for their children need to rethink about what they are talking about. THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS IN THE WORLD TO BE WHINING ABOUT THAN A PLASTIC DOLL.

[ameliaparvaneh]

01:47 AM on 10/21/2011

Who cares about tatoos? I'd be much more worried about giving my child an anorexic, freakishly proportioned, sex-object of a doll. ANY Barbie is damaging that kid on some level. (Hey, I'm speaking from experience here! I was a Barbie lover too once-upon-a-time.) The tatood one at least is an individual who doesn't completely conform to society's standards for conventional beauty. In any case, I like the American Girl dolls better than Barbies. They teach the girls a little bit about history, and they don't give them eating disorders.

[Dede Eagleburger]

09:41 AM on 10/21/2011

I still love Barbies! but you made a good point about the American Girl dolls...just wish they weren't quite so pricey...most of the girls I know who've gotten one, got one that kinda looked like them. And they have those 'My Twinn' dolls that you can get to look EXACTLY like your child...kind of the opposite perspective...