PETA whales on Barbie
Mattel’s new Whale Trainer Barbie has once again made the toymaker the subject of a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) backlash.
The new doll rose from a collaboration with the US SeaWorld. Barbie sports a colourful wetsuit and comes with Shamu the whale, a dolphin, a baby seal and a pool that splashes water.
The animal rights group says the doll is better described as ‘Barbaric’ and says it should be redesigned to “better reflect the dangers of keeping whales in activity”.
In a letter to the toymaker PETA cited the recent death of trainer Dawn Brancheau when an Orca pulled her “underwater and killed her by thrashing her into the walls of the tank, separating her scalp and pulling her arm out of its socket”.
“If you continue this partnership with SeaWorld, the doll should be made more realistic: It should have detachable limbs and be black and blue,” read an excerpt of the letter posted on PETA’s website.
The first time Barbie made the PETA watch list was in 2009 when the Kentucky Derby Barbie was released and the group suggested the toy include a "Horse Abuse" protest sign and memorial wreath for the horses that are killed on race tracks with the dolls.
