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For such a bland doll, Barbie sure has caused a lot of controversy in her 50 years of existence. Now she has parents outraged about her latest iteration, Totally Stylin' Tattoo Barbie, which comes with a palette of temporary tattoos and a gun with which to apply them.

Oh, Barbie, how the mighty have fallen. You used to wear tennis outfits and hang out in mansions. Now you come with a "Ken" tramp stamp and a gigantic purple belt buckle.

In addition to this tattoo trouble, Barbie's bad rep with young girls' self-image has led to the proposal of the "Ban Barbie Bill" in West Virginia. That's right, Totally Stylin' Tattoo Barbie will not only look like an outlaw, she may actually be one too.

Read more about the Barbie Ban after the jump.

Trouble in Toyland

    Bratz Although the low-rise jeans-wearing dolls are meant for girls between the ages of 7 to 12-years-old, preschool girls have been toting these luscious-lipped curvaceous toys, causing an outrage among parents and toy watchdog groups. In 2006, a Harvard group, in collaboration with Dads and Daughters, pressured Hasbro to stop production on a Bratz line based on the super-sexy girl group Pussycat Dolls in 2006.

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    Barbie In 1989, the Barbie Liberation Organization took Mattel to task for their Teen-Talk Barbie, which intoned the infamous words, "Math is hard." To teach Mattel a lesson, they switched dozens of Teen-Talk Barbie voice boxes with those from Talking Duke G.I. Joe dolls.

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    Easy-Bake Oven A popular toy since the '50s, you'd think that Hasbro would've gotten he kinks out of the play oven by now. In July 2007 the toy company recalled the new version of the oven after more than 200 kids got their fingers stuck in the oven's door and 77 kids reported being burned from the device.

    AP

    Aqua Dots It's never a good idea to eat your toys, especially if they're Aqua Dots. In 2007, there were several cases of kids vomiting or falling into a coma after ingesting the beads. And, scientists found that the toy's coating contained a chemical that turns into the "date rape" drug Rohypnol after digestion. The arts and crafts beads were pulled off U.S. shelves immediately after the discovery.

    AP

    Scrabulous When RJ Softwares developed Scrabulous for the ultra-popular Facebook it attracted a half-million players daily, prompting Scrabble maker Hasbro to step in and slap the India-based company with a fat lawsuit. Hasbro claims that RJ Softwares stole "intelligent software" including the game's trademark name.

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    Super Columbine Massacre RPG When tragedy hits, it's usually a good idea to downplay it and let wounds heal--not create a video game about the disaster. Despite the negative reaction by the survivors and victims' families, the game is still available online.

    AP

    Tickle Me Elmo In 2006, love fo Tickle Me Elmo turned ugly at a Target in Tampa, Fla., when a man threatened another customer with his life. The guy told the shopper he had a gun and wasn't afraid to use it if he didn't get the Elmo doll. And it looks like Elmo isn't that innocent after all: That same year, some copies of the "Potty Time with Elmo" interactive book contained a button that said," Who wants to die?"

    AP

    Grand Theft Auto The game's in-your-face violence and sex has been highly scrutinized by parent groups. And controversy sparked when 2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas game contained sexually explicit mini-games that could be unlocked with a code. Versions of the game have already been banned in Thailand and Australia.

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    The SockObama In June 2008, the blogosphere fumed about a sock monkey doll made to look like Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. Although the doll may have been described as "firm but huggable," the doll's production was stopped after a couple of weeks after critics said the doll had racist undertones.

    nymag.com

    Furby No one's too sure exactly what a Furby is. However, in early 1999, The National Security Agency put employees under "Furby Alert" and requiring that employees keep their Furbies at home. It turns out the furry toy contains a computer chip that can potentially record classified information.

    AP




West Virginia State Delegate Jeff Eldridge is arguing for a ban on Barbie, stating that the toys damage girls' self-esteem. "I just hate the image that we give to our kids that if you're beautiful, you're beautiful and you don't have to be smart," he said.

We wonder if his rage is Barbie-specific or if he wants to get rid of those trampy-looking Bratz dolls, too.

In either case, isn't it up to parents to decide what toys their kids are playing with? Or are some toys inherently harmful?

Happy 50th birthday Barbie! You're still great at pissing everybody off.

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