Trolls doll removed from shelves over complaints it promotes child abuse

Company says it recognises placement of sensor 'may be perceived as inappropriate'

Trolls doll removed over complaints it promotes child abuse (Twitter)

A Trolls doll is being removed from shelves after complaints it promotes child abuse.

On Wednesday, Hasbro, the toymaker behind the doll, said it had begun pulling the Trolls World Tour Giggle and Sing Poppy doll from stores and would be replacing it with another doll.

The criticism of the doll, which had been designed to giggle when a button placed between its legs was pushed, was raised in an online Change.org petition created this week.

“Our society is conditioning our children to think paedophilia is okay,” the petition created by Jessica McManis and directed at retailers including Target, Walmart and Amazon, reads. “This Trolls World Tour doll named Poppy has a button on her private area under her skirt. When you push this button on the doll’s private she gasps and giggles.

“This is not okay for a child’s toy.”

In addition to implying the toy would make “innocent, impressionable children” think “paedophilia and child molestation are okay,” the petition also alleged the doll was “damaging” and “has long-term affects on a child’s mental/physical health.”

McManis concluded the petition urging people to sign to “get this toy removed and help #SaveTheChildren”.

“Children are our future and WE are their voice!” she wrote.

As of Thursday, the petition has been signed more than 95,000 times.

The outrage over the doll’s design also spread to Twitter, where people continued to call on Hasbro to remove the “disgusting” toy.

“Hasbro really made a Trolls doll with a button where its genitals are and when pressed, makes gasping sounds. Yikes,” one person tweeted.

In a statement to The Providence Journal, a spokesperson for Hasbro said it “recognises the placement of the sensor may be perceived as inappropriate” but said the design flaw was “not intentional”.

“This feature was designed to react when the doll was seated, but we recognise the placement of the sensor may be perceived as inappropriate,” Hasbro spokesperson Julie Duffy. “This was not intentional and we are happy to provide consumers with a replacement Poppy doll of similar value through our consumer care team.

“We are in the process of removing the item for purchase.”

The Independent has contacted Hasbro for comment.