"Midge," the married, pregnant, longtime pal of Barbie, was pulled from Wal-Mart shelves this month in response to customer complaints. She has a detachable pregnant stomach, a wedding ring, a son, and a husband (both of whom are sold separately). From the Reuters story:
Mattel, the maker of Barbie, on its Barbie.com Web site, said the Happy Family preganancy-themed dolls "can help parents discuss pregnancy without having to resort to graphic descriptions of the reproductive process." It said the dolls can help children aged 5 to 8 to act out their feelings before the arrival of a new sibling.
Some shoppers said they were not convinced Wal-Mart's priorities were on target. "Wal-Mart pulling Barbie because she's pregnant, but they still sell guns and ammo?" said Laura Jamieson of San Francisco.
