What should a doll say?

littlemushroom

My friend's daughter received a talking doll from her great grandma for Christmas. The doll says things like, "Let's go shopping! Tee hee!", " Do you like my outfit?", and "L.O.L!", all while giggling stupidly.

Her mom knows nothing was meant by it, but doesn't really want her 4 year old listening to stuff like that. The kid has already told her mom that science is for boys only, and her mom is trying to make sure she doesn't pick up any more of the stupid gender stereotypes kids are exposed to.

The mom plans to replace the voice box with one she can record what the doll says. She has some ideas already, but needs more.

So Knotties, what should the doll say when she is done?

AddieCake

I think it should say, "Redrum." That's pretty gender neutral right there. 

mikenberger

AddieCake said:

I think it should say, "Redrum." That's pretty gender neutral right there. 

Or get a second doll. 

VulgarGirl

Nothing! It's a fucking doll! Dolls should not talk and the ones that do are creepy as fuck!

Or "Listen to your mom", "Don't burn down the house", "Always use condoms", "One day you'll be grateful your mother didn't let you out of the house looking like a cheap hooker now go put on pants", "Hate me all you want I'm still your fucking mother!"...ya know life lessons.

ohannabelle

Someone once gave me Barbie's groovy British friend, talking Stacey. She said many stoopid things, like, "your hair is simply smashing," and "I want to go shopping on Carnaby street." 

Meh.

I wouldn't bother with the box thing. Four year olds tend to indulge themselves in pretty intense gender identification, and then they move on. It's a very normal phase of personality development. At that age, my daughter wanted to wear a dress every day, and was miserable if she couldn't. By five, she was over it. I would let it go and not make an issue out of it, other than continuing to let her know that girls are equally capable and can do all things, not only girl things. Her parents and their philosophies will carry more weight than the doll, long term. 

Maggie0829

How about instead of changing the voice box, her Mom just reaffirm that girls can do anything that boys can do and that shopping is fun but so is building with legos and drawing (engineering and art).  I really doubt a silly doll that will most likely end up in the "don't play with anymore" pile in about a year is going to instill long standing behavior.

novella1186

I was given a Barbie in the 90's that said "Math is hard, let's go shopping!" 

Around the time that was given to me, my elementary school teacher had to contact the high school to get me more challenging math assignments than what the rest of my class was doing, because those were too easy for me. I didn't even realize math was "a boy thing." 

This is because the adults in my life were constantly telling me I could be a scientist, an astronaut, the President, a painter, a writer, or whatever the hell else I was into that week. In fact, I forgot all about that Barbie until my mom brought it up a few months ago (about how misogynistic the toy industry can be).  

theartistformerlyknownas

Dolls that talk creep me the fuck out. The batteries inevitably run out and then it ends up saying "wanna play?" in some scary deep demon voice. No.

My BIL got one of those puppies for his sister's new baby where you can program it with baby's name and shit... baby's mom was wound a little too tight so he programmed it to say "my favorite food is mayonnaise!" and "I love to poop!"

ElcaB

novella1186 said: I was given a Barbie in the 90's that said "Math is hard, let's go shopping!" 
Around the time that was given to me, my elementary school teacher had to contact the high school to get me more challenging math assignments than what the rest of my class was doing, because those were too easy for me. I didn't even realize math was "a boy thing." 
This is because the adults in my life were constantly telling me I could be a scientist, an astronaut, the President, a painter, a writer, or whatever the hell else I was into that week. In fact, I forgot all about that Barbie until my mom brought it up a few months ago (about how misogynistic the toy industry can be).  

Math is hard. 

Shopping > Math.

ETF: QB. 

chibiyui

THIS WAS SUCH A GREAT FUCKING SIMPSONS EPISODE

Honestly, just remove the voice box. Unless your friend loves tinkering with electronics, not worth the trouble.

jenna8984

God what was that doll that Lisa Simpson made exactly like this? I think it was actually called "Lisa" but it said all phrases about reading is fun, you can achieve anything, go to college, etc. All the kids bought it for like a day until the Malibu Stacey came out with a new and improved HAT so they all threw the Lisa doll away. (in the episode not real life)

But I agree with @maggie0829 that it doesn't cause harm. I played with so many Barbies and had the mall shopping nintendo game and all her stupid phrases. And I was always super interested in math & atronomy as a kid, it never once translated to me that I should be a bimbo. Or that I should be a size 00 with 36DD tits. I think people put way too much emphasis on toys, let boys and girls have their dolls & guns.

novella1186

jenna8984 said:

God what was that doll that Lisa Simpson made exactly like this? I think it was actually called "Lisa" but it said all phrases about reading is fun, you can achieve anything, go to college, etc. All the kids bought it for like a day until the Malibu Stacey came out with a new and improved HAT so they all threw the Lisa doll away. (in the episode not real life)

But I agree with @maggie0829 that it doesn't cause harm. I played with so many Barbies and had the mall shopping nintendo game and all her stupid phrases. And I was always super interested in math & atronomy as a kid, it never once translated to me that I should be a bimbo. Or that I should be a size 00 with 36DD tits. I think people put way too much emphasis on toys, let boys and girls have their dolls & guns.

Lisa the Lion Heart. Wasn't that the name of the doll?

littlemushroom

Normally I would agree that the stupid things dolls say don't matter. But the kid's parents are always impressing on their kids that they can do anything or be anything. Yet the four year old still somehow came to her mom with the idea that she couldn't do science because science was for boys only. So clearly innocuous messaging from other sources was making an impact on her. Why reinforce those messages in any way?

My friend talked to her and now the kid wants to make robots using pink science when she grows up. Whatever that means. Lol

It doesn't have to be stuff like I want to go to college. Just some more neutral ideas. Plus, when I was little I could not care less about shopping or outfits or anything. I would have loved a doll that wasn't all about stuff I didn't like.

Changing out the voice box isn't hard. They make cheap ones you can easily record on and replace in the doll so it talks when you squeeze it. Easy peasy.

And that Simpsons episode is AMAZING.

chibiyui

Then yeah, just do stuff like "Reading is fun" " I love keeping up with current events" " I balance my checkbook every month" " You can do anything if you put your mind to it"  "Have you read any good books lately?"

NavyBlue143

Let's read a book/ Reading is fun

Let's go on an adventure!

You can do anything!

When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut/ doctor/ All Powerful Ruler of the Universe, etc. 

littlemushroom

NavyBlue143 said:

Let's read a book/ Reading is fun

Let's go on an adventure!

You can do anything!

When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut/ doctor/ All Powerful Ruler of the Universe, etc. 

I love the "Let's go on an adventure!" idea.

jenna8984

 @novella1186 YESSS Lisa Lionheart!!

novella1186

What did the nanny teach the littler girl to say in "The Help"? Wasn't it like 

I am kind

I am smart

I am important 

? 

AddieCake

So is there something wrong with liking shopping and giggling? 

thisismynickname2

You wanna hot body
You wanna Bugatti
You wanna Maserati
You better work bitch
You wanna Lamborghini
Sip Martinis
Look hot in a bikini
You better work bitch
You wanna live fancy
Live in a big mansion
Party in France

You better work bitch

Now get to work bitch

Bring it on
Ring the alarm
Don't stop now
Just be the champion
Work it hard like it's your profession
Watch out now
'Cause here it comes

Hold your head high
Fingers to the sky
They gon' try to try ya
But they can't deny ya
Keep it building higher and higher

So hold your head high
Fingers to the sky
Now they don't believe ya
But they gonna need ya
Keep it building higher and higher and higher

Work work work work work work work work (Work!)

-- Britney Spears

I don't know about you guys, but that's pretty inspirational girl power shit right there.

ohannabelle

AddieCake said:

So is there something wrong with liking shopping and giggling? 

It's the reason I'm not a scientist. 

AddieCake

ohannabelle said:

AddieCake said:

So is there something wrong with liking shopping and giggling? 

It's the reason I'm not a scientist. 

Dammit, that must be why I'm not, either!  I knew there had to be a PC meaning, a deeper meaning other than that I just don't like science and agree math is hard. I failed math in high school and in college, and I bet it was b/c I played with Barbies as a child. Fuck you, Mattel, and your sorcery and conspiracy to hold me back!

chibiyui

Oh. Yes. "If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you going to love somebody else."

Good stuff right there.

theartistformerlyknownas

How about you make it say "Ew, cash bars are tacky!" and "You can't tell people how to dress!" and "I love to use gender-neutral pronouns!'

lurkergirl

kat1114

I vote for a doll that says:

Or:

ashley8918

I am of the opinion that dolls should not talk. It's way fucking creepy.

Teddy917

Ultimately whether the kid is into shopping or science or both, is up to the child. The toys don't matter so long as the parents allow them to play with both. In my case, what my parents thought didn't even make a difference. My mom tried to insist that I play and act "like a lady should". My main interests, then and now, are video games, science, math, reading, writing stories, playing trains with my nephew. No toys changed how I felt about what I could do. My dolls existed for one reason: my horses needed riders.

Sorry for the rant. I hate gender stereotypes.

doeydo

-The Chatty Cathy doll would say "I hurt myself; I’m hungry;  Please brush my hair;  I’m sleepy;  Tell me a story;  Please carry me;  Let’s change my dress; Will you play with me?; Let's play school; I love you"
-This is from an old Twilight Zone episode: "My name is Talky Tina [or whatever name you want] and I love you very much"

-Sing a song or nursery rhyme