The most disturbing thing about the dolls is probably the fact that, while they don't have fingers (just rounded mitten hands), they do have all the grown-up parts that the rest of society has come to know and hide. The mother dolls even come with their own built in fetuses and snap-on breastfeeding capabilities. The other end of the snap is on the unborn baby's mouth.
I can't be alone in thinking that making dolls like this available to little kids is setting them up for all sorts of unhealthy playtime activities. What do you think?
Anonymous, I have seen quite a bit of research on these types of dolls. Have you ever seen the cases where they've videotaped children getting a routine physical, then followed up by asking the kids to show trusted adults what the doctor did to them? A number of kids proceeded to show the doctors doing awful, graphic things to them, simply because they were given anatomically-correct dolls for use in their story. When pressed, many persisted with the lies.
Although I don't think nudity is a bad thing, I do think that having anatomically-correct manipulatives is a bad thing for the average kid.
Jennifer, thanks for the heads-up on the boy Baby Alive. Maybe that's an okay toy for little boys, but I don't see why little girls who want to play with dolls can't just play with nondescript girl or gender neutral dolls.
I totally disagree with these dolls or any dolls that have anatomically correct genitalia being played with by young children. There is no reason my 3 1/2 year old daughter needs to know about boy parts, especially if she has no male siblings. I feel that a young child, knowing that the opposite sex has something different, will be more curious and want to explore those differences. It would be more understandable for these dolls to be used in a classroom environment for much older children, maybe their first sex ed or anatomy class, or helpful for sexually abused individuals - just not as a gift for your favorite niece, etc. It would be wise to check with the parents first!! Also be careful of the anatomically correct baby alive wets 'N Wiggles BOY Doll!
These dolls are very useful for interviewing children who have been sexually abused but do not have the verbal abilities to describe the abuse. They are certainly not going to "scar" a sexually abused child any further than they have already been by abuse. Try looking into some research and educate yourself before making uninformed judgments.
I disagree that it sets them up for "unhealthy playtime activities", but I do think that while it will prevent children from having those infamous "I'll show you mine you show me yours" incidents, it is a bit odd. It's also a basic reflection of the changing times- 80 years ago women still couldn't wear pants and it was unacceptable to wear a skirt above the knees. Time's change!
I think that there are many valid reasons why these dolls should not be given to children, but I also think that "unhealthy playtime activities" is not one of the valid reasons.
I disagree.