A father was left horrified after realising the dolls he’d bought for his daughter had realistic genitals – but his shock has sparked a debate online.
Raynell Miller, from Florida, US, ordered the set of twin dolls for his daughter around Christmastime.
The father opened the box to take a look at the baby boy and girl dolls before handing them over to his child, but wasn’t impressed when he realised they came complete with a penis and vagina.
PixabaySharing his shock on Facebook shortly after Christmas, Miller explained how no reviews had mentioned anything about the ‘extra stuff’ the dolls came with, so he’d presumed they were ‘child friendly’.
He wrote:
So I bust open this box of twin dolls I ordered online for my baby and Lawd have mercy Is this is what the world comes too now? Making dolls with the actual private parts for children? [sic]
When I purchased them, they came with various doll accessories to go with the dolls and the reviews didn’t mention about anything about the extra stuff so I guess I just thought they were child friendly. But silly me huh lol. [sic]
The disgruntled customer went on to say he’d be okay with giving the female doll to his daughter ‘since she has that part’, but didn’t feel comfortable giving her a doll which had a penis.
He continued:
I’m glad I examined them before she got a chance to play with it!! Granted, the girl doll would have been fine since she has that part but my lil girl ain’t ready to be playing with dolls who has their d**ks out [sic]
Since posting a picture of his purchase, Miller’s complaint has been shared over 7,000 times on Facebook (at the time of writing), with many people disagreeing with the father’s opinions, explaining the dolls would allow his child to learn more about the human body.
One person sarcastically commented:
Oh noooo. Your daughter will find out about anatomy and normalize it like a normal human being what a terrible thing! [sic]
Why do you have to sexualize everything and create a problem out of absolutely nothing. [sic]
While another added:
Those dolls could be ideal for teaching children what’s real out here. Why hide what will eventually be discovered? Get a head start by giving your child wisdom and knowledge early.
In response to Miller’s ‘is this is what the world comes to now?’ comment, a few people also pointed out these kinds of toys have actually been on the market for years, with one writing:
Did all you people grow up in a cage or a bubble or some sh*t? There is nothing “new” about these dolls. We had these in 1989. I had the boy version. My sister had the girl version. GROW UP. [sic]
Though many disagreed with Miller’s disapproval, a few people supported him and said there was no need for the dolls to be so realistic.
PixabayOne Facebook user wrote:
That’s a bit much.. Like even the lil girl private part is to much like real.. Wow.. Society today is really outrageous [sic]
Miller implied he’d be sending the dolls back rather than handing them over to his daughter, ending his post with the hashtag ‘returning to sender’.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.