Foul-Mouthed Barbie? Mattel Deems Claim 'Off the Hook'
— -- Barbie's many things, but a potty mouth isn't one of them. Until now. Maybe?
A mom in the U.K. claimed she was shocked when she started listening closely to what her 8-year-old daughter's Talkin' Barbie was saying. Talina Evans "couldn't believe her ears" when the doll started belting out "What the f***," according to The Mirror.
But Mattel, which manufactures Barbie, told ABC News the doll's not spewing profanities at all.
"I can tell you definitively that this is not a phrase Mattel would knowingly allow any of our dolls to use," said Alex Clark, a spokesman for Mattel.
The Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse Talkin' Barbie Doll is actually saying "Off the hook!" a catchphrase from the from the Web series "Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse!" upon which the doll is based.
"It's understandable that the phrase may be heard differently by some who are not familiar with the show," Clark said.
The doll says "off the hook" in an operatic, Valley Girl-type voice. It's one of 15 pre-recorded phrases the doll says. The doll is sold for $13 on Amazon and had largely positive reviews on the site. No Amazon review mentioned any foul language, and the biggest complaint seemed to be the doll's "tinny" sound.
ABC News' attempts to contact Evans were not immediately successful.
In addition to the 15 pre-recorded phrases, the doll can record and play back phrases of the owner's choosing.
