Overshadowed by Controversy: Difference between revisions

* [[My Friend Cayla]], and by extension, smart toys in general, had their reputation suffered when security experts pointed out on the toys' glaring flaws, i.e. ''absolutely no thought was given with its security.'' With '''no pairing codes or any safeguards in place''', a malicious party could commandeer a Cayla—itself essentially a Bluetooth speaker in the form of a doll—and make her say nasty things or listen in on children's conversations. The manufacturers were quick to defend that no such hacking incidents have taken place outside of proof-of-concept demonstrations, and it involves people with the know-how to do so (not that a [[Paedo Hunt|determined creep]] can't do it, at least hypothetically), but even then, the audio advertising and data collection by the dolls especially in this day and age where paranoia over privacy after Snowden's NSA exposé is quite common, is certainly alarming.

* The [[Bratz]] line is no stranger to controversy either due to its provocative clothing and body image, with [[Moral Guardians]] criticising MGA Entertainment for sending the wrong message "forcing young girls to grow up too soon." This led to a Tasmanian mother to come up with customised Bratz dolls<ref>[https://www.goodnet.org/articles/these-dolls-got-natural-makeovers-wowed-world These Dolls Got Natural Makeovers - And Wowed the World - Goodnet]</ref> with facial features repainted to represent younger girls and clothing to match, subverting the much-derided sexualised wardrobe and appearance the doll line is known for. On a related note, the tepid reception towards the [[Bratz (film)|live-action adaptation]] caused theatre owners to be leery about screening ''[[Kit Kittredge: An American Girl]]'' as they were hesitant about "yet another doll" movie (and a niche one at that, considering how [[American Girl]] is largely unknown outside North America) that would not do well at the box office.