 Wal-Mart Yanks Pregnant Barbie Pal from Shelves
Barbie having babies? Stick to playing nurse and Rapunzel, say Wal-Mart shoppers. Barbie's long-time pal, Midge -- now married and pregnant -- was yanked from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. shelves after customers complained about the doll, Melissa Berryhill, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman said. Midge is sold as part of the "Happy Family" set, wearing a tiny wedding ring and a detachable stomach with a curled-up baby inside. Her husband, Alan, and 3-year-old child Ryan are sold separately. "We make every decision on which items to carry based on customer demand, and that was the reason for this. Customers were unhappy with the offering," Berryhill said. Mattel, the maker of Barbie, on its Barbie.com Web site, said the Happy Family pregnancy-themed dolls "can help parents discuss pregnancy without having to resort to graphic descriptions of the reproductive process." It said the dolls can help children aged 5 to 8 to act out their feelings before the arrival of a new sibling. (Agencies) | 芭比娃娃生小孩？坚决不行！沃尔玛的购物者们说，他们将一直拥护护士芭比和长发公主芭比的形象。 芭比的老朋友米姬被沃尔玛公司打入冷宫，因为米姬现在是个已婚的孕妇形象。该公司的女发言人梅利莎·贝里希尔称，有许多顾客对这个娃娃的形象表示不满。 米姬是作为"幸福家庭"系列中的成员出售的。她戴着一枚小小的结婚戒指，腹部可以解开，里面还蜷缩着一个婴儿。她的丈夫阿兰，还有一个3岁的孩子里安则单独出售。 梅利莎说："我们根据顾客的需要来决定该出售什么样的商品。这也是我们撤下米姬的原因。顾客不喜欢这个娃娃形象。" 生产芭比娃娃的马特尔公司在barbie.com网站上发表自己的意见，认为欢乐家庭系列中怀孕主题的娃娃"可以使父母不采取图解的方式就能向孩子们描绘生育的过程。"该公司还称这个娃娃形象还可以帮助5至8岁的孩子表达自己对于新家庭成员诞生的所感所想。 （中国日报网站译） |
Updated: 2003-01-08 01:00
