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November 14, 2008

Man claims doll is pro-Islam

By Charles Oliver

Jack Devlin saw some employees passing around a doll while shopping recently. He decided to see what the fuss was about, and when he listened in, he couldn’t believe what he heard.

Devlin, who lives in Dalton, says Mattel’s Little Mommy Cuddle ‘n Coo doll says “Islam is the light.”

“Being a Christian, this goes against my religion, the message they are sending,” he said. “When you look around, this jihad thing in the Middle East, they’ve been on their way for 40 years, spreading all through Europe and America.”

“When I hear this, I can see little children, 3- and 4-years old, slowly but surely being indoctrinated,” he said.

Devlin says he wants others to know about the doll and the message he says it promotes.

A Web search uncovered dozens of stories about the doll from across the United States. Some people claim to have heard the message Devlin hears. Others claim to hear the doll say “Satan is king.”

Mattel issued a press release on Oct. 13 saying the only word the doll says is “mama.” The rest, the company says, is “baby babble” and giggling. But it says it has changed the sound track on new versions of the doll to avoid any confusion.

When the doll’s sounds were played for several people at The Daily Citizen offices, some said they could hear the doll say “Islam is the light.” Others heard only baby gibberish.

“Some do (hear it). Some don’t,” said Devlin.

According to the Web site snopes.com, which investigates urban legends, several talking toys have prompted similar concerns. In 2006, Snopes reports, the talking book “Potty Time with Elmo” contained a sentence that the manufacturer said was “Uh, oh! Who has to go?” But some people insisted it actually said, “Uh, oh! Who wants to die?”



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For more information on the Cuddle ‘n Coo doll and other Mattel toys, contact Mattel’s customer relations at 800-524-8697.

The Mattel press release on the doll can be found on the Web at http://www.shareholder.com/mattel/downloads/10-09-08_Media_Statement_re_Cuddle_and_Coo_Dolls.pdf.

The snopes.com article on the Cuddle ‘n Coo controversy can be found on the Web at http://www.snopes.com/business/alliance/dolltalk.asp. An audio file of the sounds is available there.

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