With his familiar light-green fatigue and grenade clipped to his pectus , G.I. Joe platoon leader Duke appeared carved from granite , not plastic . The 12 - column inch action figure was part of Hasbro ’s Hall of Fame series , a premium - formatting figure released in 1993 . Press his bureau and the military specialiser ’s voice box would be aerate , allow Duke to holler a series of commands or threats .
But for a number of kids who unwrapped him on Christmas Day 1993 , Dukeappearedto be in no mood for conflict . When iron to speak , he would alternatively exclaim , “ Let ’s go shopping ! ”
At the same time , parents who had gift their children Mattel ’s Teen Talk Barbie — which was also equipped with a voice chip — were equally confused . Instead of talking about apparel or corvette , the Barbies sounded like they had been gargle gravel . “ Eat star , Cobra ! ” shouted one . “ payback is mine ! ”
family were not amused : The dolls were n’t inexpensive — each had a $ 40 to $ 50 price rag . After examining the box for any sign of tampering , some parents add up across a small leaflet that helped explicate the toys ’ out - of - fiber language . A group call in themselves the Barbie Liberation Organization was taking province for the switch . The goal of their stunt was to reframe the conversation over sexuality roles in America .
Outside the Box
Since she first collide with shelf in 1959,Barbiehas overstep her box - in identity as bare toy memory inventory to become an incarnation for girls bet for a function model . ( At one power point , the doll reportedlyreceived20,000 fan letters a calendar week . ) The sizing of her waist , her task skills , herMalibu beach house — all of it has been highjack by social anthropologists looking to see whether her influence is enriching untried girls ’ live or proffer deject , pigeonhole notions of femininity .
That debate take a number for the worse in 1992 , when Mattel released a teenaged variation of the doll that exclaimed “ math stratum is sturdy ! ” woman ’s radical were understandablyoutraged , believing that Barbie was falling dupe to harmful tropes that put a ceiling on both her intellect and that of her pre - teen consumer .
Though the phrase was just one of 270 the doll could utter at random — others admit “ I love school , do n’t you?”—it received the brunt of media care , includingdemands to recallthe dolls . ( Mattelapologized , but did not get out the dolly off ledge . )
The debate over whether Barbie had social responsibilities catch the attention of Igor Vamos , a student of ocular humanistic discipline at the University of California , San Diego . Vamos was fascinate by the melodic theme of “ cultural jam , ” a kind of analog hacking that upend formal idea to make controversy . If Barbie teach passiveness and sexism with her complaint of mathematics being hard , then perhaps she should be give a different playscript .
Vamos bought several dozen Teen Talk Barbies and Talking Duke figures from toy dog stores in California and New York . He and several other “ operatives ” dismantled the toy , performing acrude surgerythat allowed them to interchange the voice box buried within their bodies . Volunteers would use a knife to cut into the dolls ’ plastic skin , then modify the transistor of the Joe ’s phonation chip so it would fit into Barbie ’s relatively slight torso .
After repackaging the dolls , the squad “ shop class - dropped , ” surreptitiously restock them on plaything shelves in Albany , San Diego , and Walnut Creek , California . Each box had a piece of composition promote dissatisfied parents to reach out to the media after discovering the miniature were n’t grammatical gender - conforming . To speed thing along , they alsotoldfriends to grease one’s palms the bird and make the calls . Then they wait .
Within hebdomad , adult fuddle by their fry ’s young toy did exactly what the B.L.O. suggested , telling local news show affiliates that their Barbie was shouting attack mastery and inform kids that “ beat men evidence no Trygve Halvden Lie . ” Duke , meanwhile , snub war strategy , preferring to “ be after our dream wedding . ”
The ensue media coverage is on the dot what Vamos was desire for . call the toy ’ gender roles “ stone - of age , ” the B.L.O.claimedresponsibility , stick anon. , and hop it would cause consumer to rethink the generation of violence by virile miniature and the relatively asinine ambitions of Barbie .
" Obviously , our goal is to get media attention , ” a B.L.O. spokesperson toldThe New York Times . “ We are trying to make a statement about the manner toys can boost minus behavior in children , particularly given rise acts of violence and sexism . "
Vamos even supervised output of avideothat used Barbie to spell out their mission . “ They build up us in a direction that perpetuate gender - based stereotypes , ” the toy say . “ Those stereotype have a negatively charged effect on tiddler ’s development . ”
“Kind of Ridiculous”
While most study the act harmless — the toy could , after all , be exchanged for an unadulterated version — not everyone believed the B.L.O. ’s mission diddle fair . “ I ’ve got a very potent negative feeling about terrorist routine against fry , no matter how baronial the motive , ” Joanne Oppenheim , a toy manufacture advocate , told theTimes . “ It ’s a inexpensive shot , and it ’s unjust to the kids . ” Others dissent the ecumenical idea of product tampering .
Mattel and Hasbro were less perturbed . Wayne Charness , then - frailty United States President of Hasbro , called it “ kind of ridiculous , ” while Mattel abstain from commenting . Though the B.L.O. claimed to have tampered with hundreds of toy in 43 different state , the truth was that Vamos and his squad had perform surgery on close to 120 toys . But the media perpetuated the story , making it seem as though the stunt was permeative .
The account died down after the holidays . The tampered toys were either render or bought and discarded . Vamos hold open his part in the stunt largely under wraps until year afterwards , when he became a part ofThe Yes Men , a social disruption public presentation group , under the false name Mike Bonanno . Vamos is now aprofessorof media artistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy , New York .
Was the stunt efficacious ? Anecdotally , peradventure . Media outlets like Ohio’sAkron Beacon Journalprofiledkids and parents who had been affected by the transposition , include 7 - year - former Zach , the recipient of a Barbie - possessed Duke . When Zach was asked if he desire to come back the plaything , he said no : “ He ’s teach me not to oppose . ”
Were kids really influenced by the toys to rethink gender portrayals , or were they yet another example of the B.L.O. manipulate the media by using an undercover operative to articulate their message ? If Barbie knows , she is n’t talking .
A version of this storey was originally published in 2018 and has been update for 2023 .
