Ethical dolls

Furbies and the ’90s Beanie Baby craze were weird enough. But this time the children’s toy industry has really outdone itself.\nForget Barbie. Forget her skimpy clothes, her glossy hair and her obnoxious, overly radiant smile. Move over Transformers, because soon kids will have the opportunity to play with something a little more, well, holy.\nThis month Wal-Mart will begin selling faith-based action figures. This new take on kiddie entertainment, a line known as “Tales of Glory,” is the brainchild of a religiously oriented toy company \ncalled One2believe. \nIn stores across the U.S., particularly in the South and Midwest, consumers will soon be able to purchase a “Sampson Spirit Warrior” or an “Esther Messenger of Faith” to occupy themselves during playtime. The company hopes to win what it has dubbed the “battle of the toy box.” \nOne2believe founder David Socha said, “If you go in a toy aisle in any major retailer, you will see toys and dolls that promote and glorify evil, destruction, lying, cheating.”\nThe debate over whether children’s toys have a poor influence on them is by no means new.\nAction figures and video games have often faced criticism for sending violent messages to their young, impressionable consumers. And unrealistically proportioned dolls, decked out in designer fashions, have been blamed for cases of childhood anorexia and poor body image. In fact, in 2003, Saudi Arabia actually banned the sale of Barbie dolls because, according to the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, they were a negative influence, “with their revealing clothes and shameful postures, accessories and tools (that) are a symbol of decadence to the perverted West.”\nSure, these faith-based toys might protect kids from the influence of the less holy, but can a talking Jesus action figure really push children along in their “spiritual journey?”\nAdmittedly, exposure to violence might convince some children that it’s OK to resolve conflicts physically, and the overt sexuality of girls’ toys may distort their consumers’ concept of body image. However, introducing “God-honoring” toys into the market will not solve these problems.\nThe truth is that, even if inappropriate toys were phased out, children’s perceptions of the world around them will still be skewed. Just turn on the news and you will find it is impossible to prevent children from viewing disturbing images of wars, hearing malicious attacks on celebrity behavior or being promised satisfying sex lives if they buy the products advertised in shaving cream and lingerie commercials.\nWhile a “Jesus Loves Me” teddy bear might encourage moral and civil behavior to a small extent, the greatest influence on a child is undoubtedly the people they encounter in their daily lives. Without an effort to maintain civil relationships, whether they are between family members, different religions or different countries, we will never be able to improve the state of the planet that the next generation will inherit. Rather than holding “Dazzling Date Barbie” accountable for the problems of the world, we need to examine our own behavior.