Barbie Manufacturer Got Criticized for Giving Free Dolls to Schools; Is It Neuroscience or a Form of Invisible Marketing

Fifty years ago, Barbie Millicent Roberts was introduced in the world of toys. Since then, Barbie has become the most famous toy doll in history. The icon did not only appear in movies and other media, but it has also inspired the fashion industry. Today, Barbie is also present in the virtual world where users can play and chat with other Barbie fans.

(Photo : Unsplash/ Elena Mishlanova)

Controversial Social Skills Campaign

Toy company Mattel, the manufactures the famous Barbie doll, has been criticized after giving away free Barbie and Ken dolls to primary schools in UK. The company launched the "Barbie School of Friendship" program where the free dolls are supposed to help the children carry out role play exercises. It has been rolled out to 700 schools across the country with the goal of reaching over 150,000 pupils. Mattel claims that the program is sponsored by research which suggests that playing dolls provides major benefits for child development such as empathy and other nurturing skills.

However, the program was criticized by experts due to the concerns regarding the negative effects of Barbie dolls in gender stereotyping. The use of research in justifying the program is also questioned, in addition to the issue of allowing companies to freely market their products through schools.

Psychotherapist Philippa Perry claims that the project is suspicious and that it could be exploitative. Meanwhile, specialty public health registrar May van Schalkwyk argued that commercial entities such as Mattel do not have expertise in children's health or education, since they only focus on selling products to maximize profits. She also added that the items offered by the company are heavily branded, and the children should not be exposed to this kind of stealth marketing.

On the other hand, researcher Sarah Gerson from Cardiff University says she finds the program interesting but also expresses some reservations. According to her, Mattel's claim that playing dolls like Barbie will provide major benefits is a strong statement to be given to parents.

As a response to the criticism, a Mattel spokesperson presented the testimonial from an anonymous teacher who celebrated the program for the positive effects it has elicited in the students as well as the promotion of diversity in terms of skin tone, body type, and disability.

Supporting Claims From Neuroscience Studies

Mattel referenced the studies that it funded which served as the basis of the program. In a five-year research published in 2020, the toy company collaborated with neuroscientists from Cardiff University, it was found out that doll play activates the region of the brain which is responsible for social information processing and empathy. This indicates that this activity enables the children to rehearse, use, and perform such skills even when they play on their own.

The result of the study also reveals that children tend to demonstrate higher brain activity when they play with Mattel dolls than when they play games on electronic gadgets such as tablet. A reanalysis of the same experiment conducted in 2022 suggests that the children who play dolls use more of their internal state language for describing their thoughts and feelings.

Psychologist Franziska Korb from the Dresden University of Technology emphasizes that the research have good ideas and appropriate methodology, but she clarifies the significant differences between doll and gadget play when a child is playing alone. This is due to the fact that when a child plays the tablet with an adult, then the differences become negligible. Korb further explains that the result of the study cannot be used in making statements about the long term developmental or behavioral effects of using dolls.