Barbie Fatwa

Barbie is in hot water and it's not a bubble bath this time:

(AP) A top Iranian judiciary official is warning against the "destructive" cultural and social consequences of importing Barbie dolls and other Western toys.

In the latest salvo in a more than decade-old government campaign against Barbie, Prosecutor General Ghorban Ali Dori Najafabadi said in an official letter to Vice President Parviz Davoudi that the doll and other Western toys are a "danger" that need to be stopped.

"The irregular importation of such toys, which unfortunately arrive through unofficial sources and smuggling, is destructive culturally and a social danger," said the letter, a copy of which was made available to The Associated Press.

Well look at Fulla, the "acceptable" alternative. Which one do you think flies off the shelf? Plus, the Barbie doll has outfits that you can change. (or so I'm told) The Fulla doll has the burqa glued to it's body, which really isn't a body, just a stick with a transmitter that alerts the culture police should anyone try to remove the burqa. No, this isn't about Barbie; it's about doll sales.

Odd that I'd be a Barbie defender. I wish I had a nickel for every time I had to disassemble the vacuum cleaner to retrieve a Barbie head. Or chase the dog around the house trying to "save" her from the fate of all chew toys.

***Update:


What I was talking about.

I've been doing some research, and apparently Fulla is selling well in the Middle East.

"She's honest, loving and caring, and she respects her father and mother."

Fulla is still single and there are no plans for an Islamic equivalent to Ken, Barbie's former boyfriend. However, a Doctor Fulla and Fulla as a teacher are planned - both respected careers for women.

Presumably she bends at the knee and can survive a severe beating. There is a Fulla car, that she's not allowed to drive. And blue jeans are available, but only as part of the honor-killing accessory pack.