Overshadowed by Controversy: Difference between revisions
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== Toys ==
* [[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.
* [[Barbie]] is a recurring butt of controversy for a number of reasons:
** Her body image as an hourglass fashion model is one point of contention. If Barbie-like proportions were applied to a typical teenage girl, she would've been dead by then; this led to [[The Moral Substitute|a more realistic substitute]] called "Lammily" and versions of the Barbie doll with more diverse proportions, termed by the company as 'tall', 'petite', and 'curvy'.
** The idealistic portrayal with Barbie as a [[Mary Sue]] character was also criticised, and so does the stereotypically feminine aspects of her character as exemplified by her wardrobe and the 1992 Teen Talk Barbie doll with phrases "Will we ever have enough clothes?", "I love shopping!", "Wanna have a pizza party?" and the controversial "Math class is tough!". Mattel spared no expense redeeming their flagship doll character as an empowered, independent figure by portraying Barbie as taking on countless occupations and pursuits from a a doctor, a [[Spy Fiction|super-spy]], the President of the United States and a [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|babysitter]] through the "You Can Be Anything" campaign, the quintessential [[Dumb Blonde]] doll stigma remains. Said negative influence concerns has also led to some countries especially in the Middle East to [[Banned in China|ban]] Barbie in favour of [[The Moral Substitute|Islam-friendly]] substitutes such as the "Fulla" line of Barbie-compatible dolls, though the "[[Once-Acceptable Targets|Jewish]]" Barbie brand is still available in other Muslim-majority countries including Egypt and Indonesia and is arguably more popular.
** Safety concerns were also levelled against the line, such as in the plastics used on vintage Barbies alleged to have detrimental effects on children, and [[Paedo Hunt|child pornography]] as well as privacy risks with the Barbie Video Girl and Hello Barbie dolls.
== Video Games ==
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