A new set of dolls sold exclusively at Toys R Us stores nationwide is making a splash —and sinking — with parents. According to news stories and customer reviews on the Toys R Us website, one of the You & Me Interactive Triplet Dolls — the one dressed in pink — needs her mouth washed out with soap.
Not so, a Toys R Us representative told IBTimes.com, “the doll is just making baby talk — not using any expletives.”
But parents disagree and are more than upset about it. Fox23 News in Tulsa, Okla. operated the doll for a few people to see whether the doll is saying the word “b**ch.”
“I did hear that,” parent Denise Altschule told Fox23. “I wouldn’t want that for my child, definitely not.”
The dolls, which sell for approximately $40, a store spokeswoman told Fox23, have not been generating “widespread complaints
But customer reviews on the website tell a different story.
At least one negative review of the triplets, citing the expletive as the reason for the impending return of the dolls to the store, was removed from the web page where the Black version of the dolls can be ordered.
However the remaining negative reviews, on the page with the White version of the dolls, tell the same story. A mother of three from Kalamazoo, Mich., titled her review of the dolls “Potty Mouth” and wrote, “Inappropriate for little girls. The pink doll says ‘crazy [*]’ to the other dolls. Unacceptable and going back to the store. Very displeased.”
A grandmother from Flint, Mich. wrote: “I bought these babies for my granddaughter’s birthday, but I won’t be giving them to her. The doll in the pink outfit seems to have a gutter mouth. … It is quite apparent that this is intentional and the makers of this product thought it would be cute to have a baby ‘swear.’ Perhaps this is a sign of our times, but I don’t want to expose my granddaughter to profanity through her toys. I don’t recommend these dolls to anyone.”
An attorney from Arkansas has filed a lawsuit against Toys R Us, telling KWTX.com that his client’s child heard the doll say the offensive word and began repeating it.
The company reports it has no plans to discontinue the sale of the dolls, but will provide a refund to dissatisfied customers who have proof of purchase.