Mexico Barbie: 'Dolls Of The World' Stir Up Controversy Over Stereotypes Alexis Shaw - ABC News
go to original April 11, 2013

Mexico Barbie comes complete with her own passport and Chihuahua. (ABC News)

Decked out in a colorful dress and hair ribbons, with a Chihuahua in tow, Mexico Barbie is hitting the shelves of a toy store near you.

The Mexico Barbie Doll is "dressed for a fabulous fiesta in her vibrant pink dress with ruffles, lace and brightly colored ribbon accent," according to the doll's description on Mattel Inc.'s website. For $29.95, she's sold with a pet Chihuahua, a passport and a sticker sheet to record her travels.

Part of Mattel's new "Dolls of the World" collection, Mexico Barbie joins the ranks of international dolls representing nations such as Chile, Holland, the Philippines, Spain, India, China and France.

While all the dolls in the collection come with a passport, some critics say Mexico Barbie is representative of cultural insensitivity, rather than an educational tool that "teaches girls about the culture, traditions and ancestral dress of Mexico," as described by Mattel on its website.

"It sounds to me like Mattel took some shortcuts," Jason Ruiz, a professor of American studies at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind., said. "The bright pink ribbons? A Chihuahua? That kind of stuff is so easy to use."

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