PETA's Latest Target: Barbie

Mattel

PETA Says Mattel's New Whale Trainer Barbie Is "Barbaric"

Lots of little girls want to grow up to work with dolphins and whales, and Mattel has smartly recognized that with their new Whale Trainer Barbie, a doll that ties in with SeaWorld. But while you and your kid may think this new career girl Barbie is cool, you know who doesn't? PETA.

The animal rights group is calling the doll "barbaric" and is urging Mattel to either stop making the toy or make it "better reflect the dangers of keeping whales in activity," Mother Nature Network.com reports.

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Yeah, because Preachy Activist Barbie sounds like loads of fun.

Whale Trainer Barbie comes dressed in a wet suit (pink and purple, of course), with Shamu the whale, a dolphin, a baby seal and a pool that splashes water.

PETA's specific issues with the toy, as per their letter to Mattel:

"Children were traumatized when they witnessed Tilikum pull trainer Dawn Brancheau underwater and kill her by thrashing her into the walls of the tank, separating her scalp and pulling her arm out of its socket," PETA writes. "This was that particular orca’s third human killing.
 
"Orcas in captivity are held prisoner in tiny concrete tanks, deprived of all that is natural to them. They suffer from extreme physical and psychological distress and what has been described as rage and frustration over their unnatural confinement and loss of family and all freedom.  If you continue this partnership with SeaWorld, the doll should be made more realistic: It should have detachable limbs and be black and blue."

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Okay, PETA, while your points may have validity, are you seriously suggesting traumatizing Barbie and oceanic life-loving kids to advance your agenda?

By the way, this is not the first Barbie PETA has protested, MNN.com points out. In 2009, when Mattel releases a Kentucky Derby Barbie, PETA suggested the toy include a "Horse Abuse" protest sign and memorial wreath for the horses that are killed on race tracks with the dolls.