Parents Squawk About Barbie's Tattoos

A new pink-haired tattooed Barbie has some parents spitting plastic bullets. Mattel crows that the rocker babe version of Barbie (who has a little dog named Bastardino), designed by Los Angeles-based fashion label Tokidoki, is a "funky fashionista," notes the Telegraph. But for "those who look to Barbie as a role model for strong, empowered girls, the Tokidoki doll is overly sexualized and inappropriate," says a writer at parents.com. Mattel points out that the doll is aimed at the adult collector market, and not sold in toystore chains—but some kids have already posted photos of the doll on their websites.

One other controversial version of the buxum doll, Totally Stylin' Barbie, also has tattoos, but they're removable stickers. Will the new Barbie end up sending kids to tattoo parlors? The director of an online toy review magazine says dolls "don't model behavior." He slams critics as "people with personal issues projecting them on a piece of plastic. If you don’t like it, don't bring it into your home. A Barbie doll is not going to knock on your door and drag your child down to the seaport to get a tattoo," he tells the Christian Science Monitor. One tattoo-loving mom praises the doll on Facebook and is now calling for ... piercings. (More Mattel stories.)