Researchers Find 'Barbie Torture' Is Fun

You always thought Barbie's were things that showed the goodness of young girls. But you would be surprised to hear about the treatment the doll sometimes receives.

Researchers at Britain's University of Bath found that as kids grow older, it's a rite of passage for them to take the blonde haired icon they once treasured and torture or disfigure it.

"The girls we spoke to see Barbie torture as a legitimate play activity, and see the torture as a 'cool' activity", said Agnes Nairn, one of the researchers. "The types of mutilation are varied and creative, and range from removing the hair to decapitation, burning, breaking and even microwaving".

Researchers from the university questioned a 100 children about their attitudes to a range of products as part of a study and found Barbie provoked the strongest reaction, with youngsters reporting "rejection, hatred and violence", Nairn said.

"The meaning of 'Barbie' went beyond an expressed antipathy; actual physical violence and torture towards the doll was repeatedly reported, quite gleefully, across age, school and gender", she said.

Manufacturer Mattel, which sells 94 million Barbies a year worldwide said that despite the findings of "this very small group of children, we know that there are millions of girls in the U.K. and across the world that love and enjoy playing with Barbie and will continue to do so in the future".

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