GLOBEANDMAIL: TORONTO — The baby doll coos, giggles and utters sounds like “mama.” But to some ears, it is baby's first phrase – “Islam is the light” – that is stirring up controversy.
Is it holiday shoppers mistaking the sounds from a cheap speaker or a case of toy tinkering?
Fisher-Price insisted that its Little Mommy Cuddle & Coo doll does not deliver any hidden messages. The only scripted word is “mama” and the doll features realistic baby sounds, including cooing, giggling and baby babble with no sentence structure, the company said.
“There is a sound that may resemble something close to the word ‘night, right, or light.' To avoid any potential misinterpretation, we have eliminated that segment of the sound file from future production,” spokeswoman Juliette Reashor wrote in an e-mail.
“Because the original soundtrack is compressed into a file that can be played through an inexpensive toy speaker, actual sounds may be imprecise or distorted.”
Ms. Reashor said there are no plans to discontinue making the dolls or take them off the shelves, adding that the company is confident in the quality standards of its dolls.
But others aren't as convinced. >>> Caroline Alphonso | December 8, 2008
Watch video from ctv.ca: A doll with something to say: ‘Islam is the light’ >>> | December 8, 2008-12-09
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