The article discusses the controversies surrounding the Barbie doll, starting from its creation. It is revealed that Barbie was inspired by a German doll called "Bild Lilli," which was a more adult-oriented toy. The creator of Barbie, Ruth Handler, bought a Bild Lilli doll in Hamburg and brought it back to the US, where she created the first Barbie doll in 1959.
The article then goes on to discuss various controversies surrounding Barbie, including:
* A 1992 Barbie doll that spoke phrases, including one that said "mathematics is very difficult," which sparked outrage among some groups.
* A 1993 incident where a group of performance artists reprogrammed Barbie dolls to say subversive phrases and secretly placed them on store shelves.
* A 2006 Barbie dog named Tanner that could leave behind "piles" that children could clean up with a magnet, which some parents found disturbing.
* A 2010 Barbie doll with a built-in camera and USB port, which raised concerns about child safety and the potential for hacking.
* A 2015 "Hello Barbie" doll that could listen to children's conversations and send them to a third-party company for processing, which sparked concerns about data security and hacking.
The article also mentions that the new Barbie movie was banned in Vietnam due to a scene that included a disputed territory in the South China Sea.
Overall, the article highlights the various controversies and criticisms that Barbie has faced over the years, from its creation to its various iterations and marketing strategies.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The film "Barbie" was released in 2023 and broke box office records.
2. The Barbie doll was created by Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel, in 1959.
3. The original Barbie doll was inspired by a German toy called "Bild Lilli".
4. Bild Lilli was produced in the 1950s in West Germany and was originally marketed as a toy for adults.
5. Bild Lilli was based on a comic strip character from the newspaper Bild.
6. The Barbie doll was named after Ruth Handler's daughter, Barbara.
7. In 1992, Mattel released a series of talking Barbie dolls that could say 270 possible phrases.
8. One of the phrases, "mathematics is very difficult", caused controversy and was eventually removed.
9. In 2006, Mattel released a Barbie doll with a dog that could leave behind "piles" that could be cleaned up with a special magnet.
10. The dog's feces and food were represented by the same brown balls, which could be confusing for children.
11. In 2010, Mattel released a Video Girl Barbie doll with a built-in camera that could record video.
12. The camera was located in the doll's necklace and could record up to 30 minutes of video.
13. The doll was criticized for potentially allowing children to take inappropriate photos or videos.
14. In 2015, Mattel released a Hello Barbie doll that could listen to children and respond to their conversations.
15. The doll was criticized for potentially allowing hackers to eavesdrop on children's conversations.
16. The production of Hello Barbie was discontinued in 2015 due to concerns over privacy and security.
17. In 2023, a new Barbie movie was released, which was banned in Vietnam due to a disputed map of the South China Sea.