Fisher Price Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Cuddle and Coo Doll accused of saying "Islam is the light" (updated 12/11/08)
(FINALLY REWRITTEN INTO ONE COHESIVE POST 12/11/08)
I first learned of these dolls from watching a local news report on them. I couldn’t believe my ears! It takes me back to the 80s where they claimed if you play the record backwards it talks about Satan worship. So, I went on my own search to find one, figuring they would be pulling them from the shelves soon. Well, I’m a lazy shopper and ended up buying several online and sent them to my mom who also has a fascination for dolls and this story. I was able to find them on the Toys R Us website. My mom found them at a Walmart in Gwinnett County, Georgia. During my search, I went to Amazon.com and here’s the product description.
“These adorable babies want to reach out and hug you! Their sweet cooing, giggling and realistic newborn hugging motions will have little girls wanting to snuggle and cuddle them right off the shelf! Each doll comes with a sweet soothing pacifier, rattle toy, bottle and their very own birth certificate so girls can name her baby, too.”
Just for kicks, you should read the comments section on Amazon.com, too.
AMAZON.COM CONSUMER COMMENTS ON CUDDLE AND COO DOLL
If you have kids (I don’t), you might already know about Mattel’s Fisher Price Little Mommy series of dolls. The Cuddle and Coo doll is one of them. My issue is that the doll is not sold under any religious premise and Fisher Price is still standing strong by their statement that all of the sounds are random cooing, even the alleged “Islam is the light.” Below is a clip from Associated Press.
If you haven’t heard it for yourself yet, watch this news story…
Funny story… I had the dolls I ordered online sent to my mom’s house. The post man left the box at the front door. Apparently, the dolls have some switch to turn off the cooing but that switch was not turned off. So my mom is hearing all these children outside her front door and thought there were neighborhood kids playing in her yard. As she opens the door there’s this giant box with all these random sounds (I ordered 5 dolls). She said it was like a scene from a scary movie as she looks down at this giant “talking” box. As soon as she brought them in and unpacked them, my mom called me and we listened to one of the dolls for several rounds. Sure enough there is one distinct “Islam is the light” amidst random other cooing sounds. I wonder where they are originally manufactured because I feel like someone is having a laugh at our expense.
I have also done some research because I personally was confused between Mattel and Fisher Price after internet searches returned this doll’s name in affiliation with one or the other. So here’s the official explanation from Fisher Price’s “About Us” page.
In November, 1993, stockholders of Fisher-Price, Inc. and Mattel, Inc. approved a merger under which Fisher-Price became a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel. This merger ignited remarkable growth for us in international markets and through product acquisitions.
After Mattel’s acquisition of Tyco Toys in 1997, the Fisher-Price name became the umbrella brand over all Mattel’s infant and preschool lines.
There are some stores pulling the dolls from their shelves, but it is being done at a local level. Honestly, I’m surprised that Fisher Price has not recalled them especially in the economic environment where retail sales are taking a hit. Who would want to lose customers over something like this? Based on your comments, many people are taking action in their own hands and either boycotting Mattel altogether or at least asking their local Walmart, Target, Toys R Us, etc. to pull them from the shelves. There is no doubt in my mind that the doll says “Islam is the light.” Shame on you Mattel! I’m sure you could at least recall them and insert a reprogrammed cooing sequence.
Thanks for bearing my my patched together post for so long, and continue to comment about what you think and any actions you’ve taken. I will continue to research this to see if there are any changes from Fisher Price. Below are some articles that I found when I originally put this post together that might be worth a gander.
Related Links
CUDDLE ‘N COO DOLL “PREACHES ISLAM”
MATTEL: TALKING DOLL DOES NOT PROMOTE ISLAM
UPDATE: LITTLE MOMMY CUDDLE AND COO DOLL
