Is there certain Character toys you - Won't let your child play with??

mckayleesmom wrote: Im pretty laid back as far as toys and cartoons go......I admit I occassionally let them watch The Simpsons and King of The Hill... , however I absolutely refuse to let Mckaylee watch THE BRATZ dolls show and I don't let her purchase any of their stuff....I saw one of their cartoons once and it was appalling to me.....Mckaylee saw part of the show and I made her change it...She asked me why and I said because those dolls are not very nice and she hasn't asked about it since....so she is ok with it.

Funny story though......I call the bratz dolls "tramp dolls" and Mckaylee overheard me from the next room.....Now whenever we are in a toy section at a store she says "hey mom, there are those tramp dolls you don't like".....

luvbug00 replied: bratz here too!! i hate those things. and barney i hate him too.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: I'm very strict on that kind of stuff. I prefer their toys to be imaginative and rather than trashy and tasteless.

mom2my2cuties replied: We DO NOT watch anything after 10am on Cartoon Network,

We ABSOLUTELY DO NOT watch the Simpsons, SpongeBob, King of The Hill or any other cartoon of that nature.

CantWait replied: Simpsons and King of the Hill, Teletubbies.

Kaitlin'smom replied: No barney when she was younger, now I dont want her watch ALOT that is on, Bratz, sponge bob, teen titans those kind of things. She got a bratz stage set for her birthday I was not thirlled but we did let her open it I think most will dissapear, and have you seen how fricken small those parts are? Yet one more reason I hate the thing.

stella6979 replied: My daughter is still pretty young, but if they'll still around when she's "that" age, she will not own any of those trashy Bratz dolls. I've already warned the entire family that if they do buy them for her, they will be put in the garbage where they belong.

grapfruit replied:
LoL! That's when we (Tim and I) watch Cartoon Network! Of course, I'd NEVER let kids watch that. Those cartoons are for adults only!

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
I personally enjoy 6teen myself.

~Roo'sMama~ replied: Andrew hasn't really gotten too far past the baby toys stage so I haven't really encountered anything I don't want him playing with ~ except Dh's sister gave him a Barney doll and I HATE Barney so I hid it. I'll never let my girls play with the Bratz dolls either - tramp dolls are a good name for them Brianne.

As far as shows go I hate Barney, Teletubbies, and Caillou and never have the TV on when those shows are on.

grapfruit replied: You know, I don't really get those Bratz dolls. They are NOT pretty like Barbies. And I'm a little leary about Barbies anymore too. They're getting trampy too. (some of them). Aren't we suppose to be instilling VALUES and the right idea of beauty into little girls??? Not teaching them that the less you wear and the more make up you wear the better?? Ok, I hope I have a boy when it's time! I think I'd end up worrying about a girl too much!

Ok, getting off my soap box now!

Crystalina replied: What is wrong with Spongebob?

I don't let mine watch any of the adult cartoons like the Simpsons or King of the Hill. Izabella is not allowed to watch Bratz either because I don't like all of the "we are popular" crap.

I do let her have Bratz dolls but only ones that I pick out. The Genie Magic ones wear clothes and the bedtime ones. You can find Bratz with clothes on but you really have to dig.

She also has the Bratz Baby computer game but the babys are dressed and the games are like making bead necklaces, face painting, skate boarding. No hoochie stuff.

I think that 90% of the Bratz dolls should be pulled from the shelves. Even the Bratz Babys wear fishnets! I've explained to her that I don't mind her having the dolls but she will not own any hoochie dolls. For Christmas a friend got her a hoochie doll and we returned it and got her Bratz beads for her door instead.

grapfruit replied:
That sounds fair.

BTW I hate Spongebob, just b/c I think it's retarded. But Tim loves watching it, and singing the theme song. His favorite though, is Fairly Odd Parents.

You know sometimes I'd swear he was 8 or something, not 23.

sparkys2boys replied: The Simpson's and King of the hill, I do not let the boys watch it. They do watch spongebob though, it doesn't bother me to much.

boyohboyohboy replied: caleb is only allowed to watch 2 hours of tv a day and he is allowed to watch some of his videos also. There are few programs on tv I think that are good for kids to watch, and half the time even if the programs are ok, the comercials are bad...
we are pretty strict about that stuff.

Boo&BugsMom replied: Anything geared towards adults I would never let my kids watch until they were much older. Funny but not so funny story, one night at my parents house my mom put Tanner to bed with a tv on for awhile. The adults were in the kitchen playing cards. She saw South Park and thought it was for kids since it was a cartoon. I went into the room to find him watching it. AHHHHH! I didn't get mad, she didn't know, but hoped and prayed he didn't see or hear anything too bad and had to explain that the show is a BIG no-no and explained why. She felt bad.

Tanner is allowed to watch some things on cartoon network, but it really depends on what it is. A lot of those shows are mature for his age. He is allowed to watch Looney Tunes, Flinstones, and some other ones that we grew up with as kids oh so long ago. He likes Justice League and the super hero based shows which are ok as long as they aren't graphic. There are actually some cute shows (Harry's Bucket Full Of Dinosaurs and Firehouse Tales) on cartoon network in the afternoon but you have to look to see when they are on because it's not the same time every day. He is very into Ben10, but there are some episodes that have some content I do not like and he knows which ones those are and is not allowed to watch those. He's more into it because of the computer game on the website, which is a lot more tame. I can count on both hands how many times he's actually watched the show itself.

I don't care for Oobie and Barney. He is too old for those and I can't stand them. Oobie needs a speech therapist!!!

mom2my2cuties replied: My problem with Spongebob is not only that is has got to be the most irresponsibly programmed "Children's" television program ever aired.

Number 1 - I am pretty sure no one on that show has any manners, knows no common decency and couldn't care less about the manner in which speaking to the other characters and I certainly don't want my kids speaking to others in that same manner.

Number 2 - I am 100% sure that show was designed by those with an IQ of less than 2 and it clearly shows in the programming

Number 3 - I am a firm believer in Trash In = Trash Out and if I don't want my children behaving in a manner that is protrayed as "acceptable" in Bikini Bottom, They don't need to watch it.

MyBlueEyedBabies replied:
I'm with you on this one. Katy really wanted a Bratz doll so with her Christmas $ I let her get the snowboarding Bratz...fully clothed in a snow suit so I was fine. I would prefer a little less eye makeup and maybe slightly better lip liner but no trashy skank doll so I was good.

C&K*s Mommie replied: Bratz, or any of the other Bratz-like characters out there including some Barbie dolls.

Crystalina replied:
First let me say that I am not attacking you or your parenting but am only responding to your post. It's hard to type and not sound judgemental at the same time.

Now with that being said...

I don't think Spongebob is any worse then the cartoons we all grew up on.
Elmer Fudd couldn't talk right, carried a gun and was always trying to blow a rabbits head off.
Bugs Bunny was a cross-dresser.
Sylvester was not going to be happy until he ate Tweety.
Tom and Jerry were constantly stabbing each other with butcher knives.

Most of us did not turn out like those characters we watched every Saturday morning. Why? Because Mom and Dad taught us right from wrong. That is how it is with my children. They know right from wrong and I trust that when they watch silly cartoons on t.v. that my mothering will come in to play and trump any behaviour that the show may portray to them. So far so good I think. I'm winning. I cannot shelter my kids from what they see on t.v. (all the time) and I will let them be kids. I'm sure if my kids grow up to be crazy it won't be Spongebobs fault. They go to school, they have friends and they will hear and see much worse and I can only hope that when the time comes for them to make a choice to either say or do something that is wrong that I have instilled some sort of value into their thick little heads.

Basically what I am saying is if you let the t.v. raise your children then yes you will have a problem and should be worried about Spongebob.

coasterqueen replied: I'm pretty lenient really. Barney was not allowed for Kylie due to Ryan's stubbornness but he's let Megan watch it, so he's softened on this one a bit.

I do not let Kylie watch Fairly Odd Parents or the other teen cartoons. She actually likes FOP, but I don't, not sure why.

Ryan is against Bratz so I'm sure that won't be allowed.

Boo&BugsMom replied: Troy likes Spongebob. In fact, Tanner use to like it and my brother got him a video for Christmas one year. Tanner walked away to go play and I found my brother and my dear hubby watching it and they watched the WHOLE THING...without Tanner!

TheOaf66 replied:

TheOaf66 replied:
it was funny

coasterqueen replied:
I TOTALLY agree as well.

Jamison'smama replied: We are pretty lenient as well. They don't watch a whole lot of tv. Jack still likes Nick Jr. shows but Jamison wants to watch some of the older cartoons like Kim Possible, Jimmy Neutron and Danny Phantom. I haven't had a problem with any of them yet and they don't seem to be influencing her in any negative way.

Anything Bratz is avoided at this point.

lesliesmom replied: I won't let Leslie (or Lindsay when she gets old enough) have the Bratz dolls. I do not allow SpongeBob on at our house; however, I do know they occassionally watch it at daycare and that's fine. I just don't care for it and don't want to hear it in the background. We have also banned Barney. Just can't stand him. We will let the kids watch the Simpsons as long as we are there with them to monitor (we've seen most of the old ones so we know if something's questionable). As for the new ones, they don't get to watch those until we know what's on it. We've also watched Futurama with them. And, they LOVE Star Trek: Next Generation.

As for Christopher, there really isn't a toy I would ban for him, the only exception being a "True-to-life" looking gun. I don't mind the toy plastic guns that look like toys but the ones that look so real, no way. Also, swords, he is prone to hitting his sisters with those so we just don't give him any at home.

luvmykids replied: We watch Spongebob once in a while, mostly we stick to Backyardigans, Dora, Wonder Pets. A big part of it is that it's not just what is ok for the twins but that Macie is two years younger so it needs to be appropriate for her too.

And no Bratz here, on tv or toys. I refuse to buy something whose name alone, not to mention dress/attitude/etc is the complete opposite of what I'm trying to instill in my kids

Nina J replied: No Bratz here either. No toy guns or weapons either, but they arn't really characters.

I'm pretty much always in the room when she's watching something. Any kids cartoons is fine, adult cartoons like south park arn't fine. She watches the Simpsons sometimes, DH is a big fan so he buys Simspons toys for Emily. Her favorite character is Marge

My3LilMonkeys replied: Honestly, I can't think of a single toy or TV show that my children have wanted that we have stopped them from yet....if they had wanted to watch Barney as children I would have, simply because I can't stand it .

If we come across anything in the future that causes them to behave inappropriately, then we'll have to consider it. But IMHO, I'm not going to stop them from watching TV or playing with toys just because it "might" make them act inappropriately - I'll just keep teaching them the appropriate ways to act and if a problem arises, we'll discuss it with them and if the behavior isn't corrected, then take away the show or item as a last resort.

JadensMama05 replied: Jaden isn't really big enough to worry about that yet. He watches old time cartoons, nothing new. Since we don't have cable or anything, we just play old cartoons on dvds. When we did have cable, I turned Nickolodeon off as soon as Lazytown came one. I just can't stand that show.. And there's another one too but I can't remember the name. There's like 3 people in a band and they all dress goofy.. Dunno but it irritates me too. We loved Wonder Pets and Backyardigans tho!

mckayleesmom replied:
I believe you mean the Doodlebops....

mom2my2cuties replied: The Doodlebops make me

Andrea loves them though so I make sure to schedule my shower time for the time the Doodlebops are on

MomToJade&Jordan replied: The only toy I know I will not get Jade are the Bratz dolls. The only exception is they've come out with a fairy Bratz and that might be all right. They actually have clothes on. I agree no hoochie dolls for my girls.

3_call_me_mama replied:
My thougths exactally! My kids watch very little tv now actually. And that is a result of teh Nick ads on NOGGIN. I specifically dont' let them watch sponge bob and now they air ads for it on Noggn. We actually cancelled our satellite package because of this. (After several email ot noggin) I liek good shows liek franklin, littel bear etc.. that were aired on noggin. heaven forbid our children learn some manners from TV!! So off it went. When they do watch tv it's either Handy manny or Mickey mouse clubhouse or Stanley. (And we prerecord them so we can ditch teh commercials if there are any) Videos the wactch only what i preview first. Cameorn LOVES scooby doo and Dh and i decided tha the can watch it as long as one of us i swatching with him.. to explain anythign that we find questionable.. but they are mostly video. adn he really is no longer leary of monsters now cause they always unmask a monster in the end. Kathleen is big into Hello Kitty now.. and we bought some videos for her. They seem ok so far.
As far as toys.. we're strict there too i guess.
no bratz. barbies or any sort of doll tha tlooks unrealistic to life. Kat has some baby dolls and a calico critters doll house. and one Only hearts doll. People keep giving her barbies and i regift them to those that i know allow them or resell them on ebay or wherever. Cameron only plays with dinosaurs, thomas the trains and his leapster and computer and his diego stuff and occasionally his rescue heros.
everythgin else we have in teh house is classic kid stuff. Housekeeping set, play kitchen play food, puppet theater, etc. There are a few dora and blues clues toys around but not many (other than teh diego rescue stuff) ... I really have come to hate characters.. (Mainly cause teh kids think they need to have everything associated with the character) Same goes for clothes. I rarely allow the kdis ot wear character clothes. Thomas and Hello kitty are the exception. not sure why. It's just how i am.
OH and back to teh spongebob thing.. (MIND YOU I HAVE NEVER MET ANY OF YOUR KIDS IN REAL LIFE!!!) btu I have yet to meet a child that is allowed to watch spongebob and play with teh toys that is not rude, disrespectful and not somethign i want my kids becomming. Mind you also tha tmy kids are FAR from perfect.. but tehere are some thign s I can control!

Crystalina replied:

What happend to imginations? These are your kids and you can do what you want and I'm not really saying it's wrong but since you posted I just decided to jump in and ask about these things. I think it would be wrong for my children though. I aprove of censorship to an extent. But they watch Scooby Doo? Do you know the story behind SD? Let's just say I'm sure the writers meant for Shaggy and Scooby to be visited by their friend Mary Jane before they saw those ghosts and monsters.

And I know this is a personal question and you do not have to answer it by any means but were you not allowed to play with Barbies? I'm just wondering if this is something that you were raised with or something that you have decided was best. To me Barbies teach little girls that they can be whatever they want. I remember collecting Barbies and I have many memories of my sister and our little friends playing with Barbie all the time. I would hate for my daughter to not have similiar memories that she could look back on.

I hope you don't take this post the wrong way because it truly isn't meant to sound snide or mocking. I really do want to understand why some parents (your the only one who posted ) take, what to me, sounds like drastic measures to censor certain things that to me seem harmless. I know there are alot of things on t.v. that need to be seen by adults only which is why my kids go to bed at 8pm. I can't watch any sitcom without sex being mentioned in some way. Even if kids are characters in the show (According to Jim or 3 1/2 Men for a couple of examples).

If I'm taking what you are saying the wrong way then I apologize.

HuskerMom replied: My husband and I like watching King of the Hill, the Simpsons and Family guy. Luckily Keith is still too little to even pay attention to the tv. When he does get old enough barney and teletubbies are banned. It seems like there's way less good cartoons now then there was in the eighties when I was little. I'm a huge smurf fan so Keith will definetly get to watch them

holley79 replied: I can not stand the Bratz dolls. Those will probably be something Annika will not have in her possesion.

luvbug00 replied: I am reading this with my mouth open. seriously. wow. I know i am WAY more lienent with thease kinds of things but maybe it's the emotional attachment to SB as his cartoon was created by the same dudes who did "ren and stimpy" which i LOVE. like i said mya can't have bratz dolls because they cross the fine line of self expression and are ultra prosititutes in my eyes. other then that mya can watch and play with whatever she wants.

3_call_me_mama replied:
No offense taken, you parent how you want and I parent how I want. As long as both sets of kids are happy. why does it matter? But to answer your questions....
My kids have seen coommercials,and they knwo what they are for. They are intended to get teh viewer to go out and purchase a product (a majority of the time) and a majority of the time teh product is a fad, tha twill be upgraded in a few months or years and then in turn cost you money again. I believe we live in a WAY too commercialized world and that 2 and 4 year olds really don't need to see that stuff. Second. I dont' knwo the story behind Scooby doo but neither does my DS. he likes teh dog and the characters and teh story line. Nothing else. he would have no idea that the story line had anything other than a creative writer behind it. I've never done any sort of drug so i would have no idea that these were supposed side effects. Sorry call it inexperience or whatever you want. And THEY don't watch it. Only Cameron does and it's with one of us. It's not a babysitter. Kathleen is only 2 and doesn't watch it and Graham is a baby and watches no TV. It's not censorship and it's not harsh It's being a parent to me. I just appear to have a different set of values and priotities when it comes to it i guess. And as far as imigination goes.. did you read my whole post? Just becuase barbie isnt' allowed doesn't mean there isn't imiganation.. We specifically have things that promote imiginative play.. play kithen, playfood, dollhouse, puppet theater etc., (I believe I mentioned all those things above) As far as to answer your question about my childhood. Your perception is totally inaccurate actually. I had barbie and all her friends, her dream house her corvette and horses etc. I had pretty much any toy i wanted. Watched what I wanted on TV read what i wanted (VC andrews at 10?!!) My mom didn't censor it she hadn't read it and had no idea what was in there. What i learned from Barbie... you have to be very tall, have feet that only really fit into high heels, have big boobs and an incredibly small waist. You also need to wear lots of makeup (but apparently not that much as compared to the bratz now!) AND ya knwo what else I learned. I learned that it isnt' real. ANd it isn't life.... BUT i learned the hard way. I learned through earing to look liek and be like Barbie. I wanted to look like her so badly that my self esteeem was totally and is still totally shot to H&LL! Ever wonder why i never post pictures of myself>!! I won't have her million $ dream home and car and gorgeous perfect Ken husband... etc. Nor will I ever fit into all my friends clothes! It just presents a too fake dream like world that i believe that MANY young girls buy into and are left feeling lied to and shattered. Believe it or not that's the truth. I don't want my daughter thinking that women in real life look like that. cause they don't . Supermodels are a rare form of that and even then they would never meet barbies measurements or expectations. Dolls like the only hearts club dolls are much more appropriate IMO .. they are just teen age type dolls, no boobs, no make up not trashy cothes etc. A young girl can pretend to be whatever they want with their imigination.. but giving them a whole fake world to manipulate is just not for me. As kathleen gets older if she wants a barbie or whatever... we will discuss it. And i'll tell her how I feel abotu them... and let her go form there.. BUT i will not shove them down her throat at the age of 2 like the rest of the world does. Sorry if that sounds harsh and maybe it appears that I'm takign my lack of postivie self image out on my kids... but in all reality I'm protecting the wonderful self image that they already have of themselves. My daughter thinks she's the most beautiful person in the world. Little pot belly and all (she still has that toddler belly!) and ya know what SHE IS! And the longer i can keep her believeing in herself instead of a doll, then the longer her mind will be positive and the stronger woman she will become. And as she grows she will learn that there are all types of peopel in teh world. Being beautiful comes from within and as long as you feelyou are beautiufl and wonderful it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. AND no matter how beautiufl somone tells you you are.. unless you fell it yourself, then in your eye and mind you're not.
Sorry to go off tangent there.... adn bringout all my mental problems... but you asked! Now I feel even crappier>...off to censor my kids... and put them back into their bubbles> (KIDDING!)

Crystalina replied:

I hope you know I didn't mean to offend you by asking you why you do the things you do. And I'm not saying it's wrong for your kids. You can censor whatever you like in your house. I was just curiouse as to why. You could have said "none of your d*nm business."

I see you have some realy issues with Barbie. I never had those feelings against her. I guess it's just the way you percieve yourself. My daughter knows she's beautiful. As a matter of fact I just cut all of her hair off the other night (it was down to her butt) and she looked in the mirror this morning before school and said she she's even prettier now then she was before. I actually have to tell her sometimes that it's not nice to talk about yourself so much. I'm not sure how old your daughter is but my is 5 and she is at the height of her Barbie world. Yes, it's all commercialized out the a$$ and yes it all costs much more then it should but I say my kids are only kids once. She cleans her room, she has respect for adults, she listens to her father and I and only briefly fights with her little brother everyday so if she asks for a Barbie because it's what her and her little friends are into then I can't see why I would say no. I would not buy a Barbie that I didn't aprove of like that one that was pg.
I don't know though, to me Barbie or any toy (as with SpongeBob) can only truly corrupt your child if the parents allow it to. My daughter knows that Barbie is not how real people look. She sees her mommy everyday! She does not see Barbie type women very often and I think she's happy with who she is. She's confident. I think though that if you have a child who is not so sure about themself (I'm not saying your kids but any kid in general) then I would monitor their toys. If you have a little girl who constantly thinks she's ugly or not perfect then by no means does she need a Barbie. But if the child is well adjusted and comfortable with who they are then I don't see the problem.

You know your children better then anyone of course and I'm sure you are doing what's best for them.

Oh and about a picture...have you not seen my ugly mug on here. There are many things that I don't like about myself. Many, many, many believe me. I wouldn't even know where to start. But my attitude is that I could give to ca-ca's about what people think of me.

redplaydoh replied: I've been reading about so many banning Barney.... what's wrong with Barney??

My3LilMonkeys replied:
We try to avoid Barney because I personally find him annoying, as does DH - not because in any way the content is bad. If Brooke ever asked to watch it, I would let her - but I don't volunteer it as an option.

luvbug00 replied: I have yet to watch a barney show where he teaches somthing worth learning. a song or two fine but really when reality steps in and the kids follow the barney method ( as i call it. basically give the kid who's bulling you a hug) then i think it's unreal and dumb.

Crystalina replied: I can't stand Barney either for no other reason then he drives me insane. My kids never got into him but my sisters kids did and I used to babysit them and I just wanted to die. Also Elmo. His voice... and it amazes me how my remote control batteries go dead every month but yet Izabella has had the same Tickle Me Elmo doll for 5 years and the darn thing still works. He's in the bottom of the toybox and if you walk thrue the toyroom he is bound to start laughing.

3_call_me_mama replied: Never did the barney thing.. but when i was a nanny they did.. and it drove me nuts! Mainly cause the show is supposed to be for babies and toddlers and preschoolers but they have liek 12 year old kids on the show!
Anyway.. it's funny Crystal that you don't approve of the pregnant barbie... cause that would probably be the ONE I would allow! LOL Cause that would be something that kids would see in real life.. a pregnant person! I mean if she can be anything why not a mom? (Except that it's kinda creepy that her belly pops off to get the baby born! maybe a primative form of c-section?! ) But woudl be even creepier is if she gave birth the natural way! There are just some things kids toys shouldn't do.
Oh and personality wise I have a don't give a D*mn additude.. but confidence wise i give too much of a d*mn i think And my kids are only 4, 2, and 3 months... so as they grow I may too. But i'll still ban the evil anorexic princess from my house! (although kat got one for her first Christmas.. she was 3 months old! now what in the world would a 3 month old do with a barbie?!! ) EBAY! anyway.. no offense taken and hope you know I was totally kidding about putting my kids in bubbles... we actually use cages!

EDITED: cause i was trying to fix typos!

siblingtooolivia replied: Pokemon....Olivia went through a phase with it and got pretty carried away - it is forbidden now....

A&A'smommy replied: The BRATZ they dress WAY to grown up

luvmykids replied:
I actually learned to love Barney No, it's not "educational" but for a half hour here or there I'd rather that than some of the other junk that isn't realistic or educational either. My kids just loved singing and dancing along and I don't see the harm in that

Jamison'smama replied: I don't mind Barney either. The songs are fun and the messages are good.

lisar replied: I will not let the kids watch Teletubbies or Bumbas. (sp?) They are stupid IMO. And they teach them how to talk wrong. So they dont watch them. Other than that I dont care.

3xsthefun replied: I will not let my girls watch Bratz or have any of the dolls.

They also don't watch Lazytown only because Maegan is scared of it for some reason.

jcc64 replied: Hi guys-
Been on a business trip for the last few days. Intereresting thread- I've read alot of provocative comments. This type of debate has been going on as long as there have been toys. I have a few thoughts:
I read an article in the "New Yorker" magazine a few months back about the marketing strategy and phenomenol success behind the Bratz dolls. It was fascinating. Almost without exception, their dolls and accessories are the end result of exhaustive market research and focus groups filled exclusively with their target audience- girls between the ages of 6-12. The company figured out that there was a black hole between the time when girls outgrow Barbie around age 6 but before they abandon playing with dolls alltogether, and it was obviously a niche that needed filling. What it got filled with is a result of what the girls themselves responded to. The article detailed how the designers and market researchers put a group of girls in a room with a 2 way mirror and watch them play, talk, etc. with the prototypes long before they ever get to market. Then they interview the girls and ask for improvements, suggestions, etc. What the girls responded to over and over was the superior fashion sensibilities of the Bratz dolls (in the kids' estimation). They believe the Bratz are hipper and more stylish than their Barbie counterparts- that Barbie is more for little girls- that they, the 6-12 yr olds, are wayyyyy too, like, you know, cool, for Barbie and wanted something edgier (again, in their own view). If the resulting slutiness is what our girls perceive as an enviable way to look, we as a culture need to ask how they got this impression. The answers are not in one place- they're everywhere. MTV, magazine ads, clothing stores, tv, on the beach, and on and on. It's a global assault, really, but obviously it's one that we collectively embrace as a culture- or it wouldn't be everywhere, kwim? The dolls are not causing this, though, they are a reflection of it. Little girls and boys are watching us, and their play is just a mirror of our world, like it or not.
Now, do I allow my kids to gorge on the smorgasbord of trash? And the answer is- to a large extent, yes. Because I don't believe the solution is to sequester them away from the world. First of all, I don't believe it's possible, unless if maybe you're Amish. I noticed that alot of people engaged in this debate have very young children. Because my oldest is now a teenager, I have a little perspective on this whole discussion. Back in the day- it was the "Power Rangers" and how they were responsible for the decline of Western civilization and were going to produce a generation of crazed serial killers. Well, guess what, they didn't. And the Bratz dolls are not going to create a generation of sex crazed whores. Frankly, I don't see a huge difference between Barbie and the Bratz- they're both fake plastic dolls with too much makeup and weird bodies. But the kids know the distinction- my dd knows that real people have genitalia and nipples and that dolls and toys are for fantasy play- not reality. She knows what real women look like because she lives with me. Her teachers don't wear fishnets and mini skirts. She has a couple of Bratz dolls (the soccer player and the figure skater), and she has not asked for a belly shirt yet. In the end, I don't believe in micromanaging every detail of what appeals to my kids imagination. Boys can play with Power Rangers or super heroes- have them beat the crap out of each other, and then turn around and problem solve in real life in all the appropriate ways. Girls can play with half naked dolls with big boobs (my kid always takes all their clothes off the first chance she gets- so what they're wearing is irrelevant anyway), and still be sweet and innocent and have good morals. Because despite the relentless assault of pop culture, whether it's music or tv or toys, we are the ultimate influence on our kids thought processes. We can let them experience the world, and help them sort it all out- the good, the bad, and the trashy. But if we try to shield their eyes all the time, they are going to be lacking some essential skills once they get out in the world without us to shepherd them.
Your kids will adopt your values regardless of what's going on all around them if you do your job well. And I'm sure, knowing most of the people here, that you will.

lisar replied:
Well put. I didnt read all the debates but this is a great response. IMO...

my2monkeyboys replied:
OMG!!! LMAO!!! ROFL!!!

That's too funny!

BTW, I agree you almost 100%. I had an urge a few months ago to not let Will watch Power Rangers, Mystic Force. The show has people on there making potions, casting spells, etc. So I thought, oh he can't watch that. That's awful! Then I thought, well h*ll, I watched the Smurfs with all those witches/wizards on it and I didn't turn out too bad. So, I watched an episode with him and told him how it wasn't real (I know, I know, witchcraft is real, but why would I tell a 4-yr-old that?), it's just pretend. And he was like, yeah, mom, I know, but it's fun to pretend!
For the most part any toy he likes to play with and most any kid's show he likes to watch is fine by me. I just explain anything that may not fit how he should be/act, and we all enjoy it.

Crystalina replied:

I agree as well.

lesliesmom replied: Well put, jcc... Although I am not a fan of the Bratz dolls, if someone gave one to my daughter I would not regift it or return, because she does ask for them. She knows mommy and daddy won't get them for her and she knows why and she's fine with it. She is approaching that '6-12' age range so we may revisit that in the next year. For a long time I did ban Barbie as well, until she was about 4. Then I figured, I can't shelter her from this image and as long as she knows what's okay and what's over the top and understands why not let her play with them. It's funny to watch Barbie playing with Thomas the Tank engine... talk about imagination..watching a 3yo and 5yo playing in that combination. As long as she knows whats right/okay, I have no real problem. I'm even rethinking my stance on SpongeBob, providing I be with her when she's watching.