Ghetto Kidz??????
 

Hey ladies. I have Direct TV, so last night I was watching the 10 o'clock news in LA and they had a story on about these new toy dolls call "GHETTO KIDZ"!!!!!?http://www.plaudersmilies.de/eek2.gif?http://www.plaudersmilies.de/eek2.gif ?http://www.plaudersmilies.de/eek2.gif They were dressed out in "urban" outfits and I guess they are marketed towards today's kid that thinks the "rap video" lifestyle is cool. Has anyone else heard/saw of these toys? I'm trying to find some more info as we speak. What do you guys think of this?http://www.plaudersmilies.de/eek7.gif

i think the dolls are a bust...

some have been orphaned cause their parents were killed in a drive-by???

trying to stay away from drugs?????

if i had kids i wouldnt want them to have one of them dolls. the thought processes behind the dolls is that they represent reality - but kids (and i'm talking about little kids) dont need every dose of reality shoved down their throats.

I haven't heard of this, but IMHO, it just helps promote stereotypical images of us. If the name were different, I would probably have considered buying one.

DITTO!!!!! Kids are supposed to be kids.

Similar too
 

Were these dolls similar to Garbage Pail Kids? They were short lived dolls. Anybody remember them?

Re: Similar too
 

MAN!!! I used to watch the cartoon! It's funny you should bring this up, because JUST the other day, I was at a friend's house, and I was telling him that I was a Messy Jessie or something like that. And he was like, :confused:, "What is a Messy Jessie?" I'm like, "You ain't used to watch the Garbage Pail Kids?????" But, how about, she is the only one I remember?! LOL! But I say it all the time, Messy Jessie.

Remember Mad Balls? They were crazy looking too!! "Mad balls, mad balls, fun for one, fun for all, MAD BALLS!!!!!"

Ah, sweet nostalgia... :)

Exactly!!! Frankly, the name offends me. I would never even consider buying something called "Ghetto Kidz." What kind of name is that? Are all of the dolls minorities?

I wonder who thought up this wonderful idea. I seriously doubt that it was anyone who actually lived in the ghetto, not just saw it in movies and music videos. Ghetto life is not very glamorous and it sure isn't anything that needs to be glorified anymore to children.

Re: Re: Similar too
 

Where is DogDogBangBang????

My thoughts exactly. Who came up with this mess?:confused: I would never buy such a doll.

WHAT HAS THE WORLD COME TO
 

I agree that the dolls are creating negative images of African Americans. Becuase we as African American already have it harder then the next. Why would dolls targeted to young kids bring our image down some more? Dolls especially have major impacts on kids and I think the "ghetto doll" is promoting a negative image of blacks towards kids therefore bring their self-esteem down or feeling that they have to copy the look of the doll or the impression that blacks are inferior to other races.

Is This for Real?
 

C'mon guys, you hafta be kidding me. I won't believe it until I see it with my own eyes.

BTW, has anyone watch a full hour of Cita recently on BET?
Hmmm I wonder where the toy manufacturer came up with the idea?;) ;)

Finally...an article
 

I finally found an article (that I didn't have to pay for). It seems that they also have a website as well. You can checl them out as www.ghettokidshood.com They even have one doll called Confederate Tammy that I guess is supposed to be "trailer park white trash" doll. I guess.....

Back To News
GHETTO KIDS

February 3, 2002 3:07pm


Source: The Sunday Mirror, February 03, 2002

EAMONN O'HANLON

A RACE row has blown up around a new toy range headed by an Irish doll whose dad is depicted as a hopeless drunk.
Hundreds of the multi-racial dolls - known as Ghetto Kids - have been snapped up since they went on sale in America before Christmas. Each doll is accompanied by a letter spelling out their tragic family problems, with their stories also played out in comic strips on the Ghetto Kids website. The biographies feature families who are struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction to those who are involved in organised crime and murder.The makers claim the dolls - with names such as East LA Lupe and Starlet Stephanie - are designed to help children cope with these "typical" problems in real life. But critics insist they pander to negative racial stereotypes, with the Spanish doll's father portrayed as a gangster who is killed in a drive-by shooting and the Puerto Rican's mum and dad as crack addicts. The Irish doll - dubbed Windy City Mary - is supposedly abandoned by her Belfast-born mother and left to fend for herself in an Irish "ghetto" of Chicago. In her comic strip story, intended for the under 10s, red-headed Mary finds a "dirty, unshaven" drunk, named O'Malley, asleep in an alleyway as she is out riding her bike one afternoon. The story tells how Mary is immediately struck by similarities between O'Malley and her hard-drinking Irish dad. The story says: "Mary Margaret hears a low grumbling sound and smells something bad: liquor. "Mary steps away. The odour brings back vivid images of her father. She tries hard to erase those images. She wants to forget those sad times when her father would come home drunk. "She feels sorry for the man. Maybe he is like her father; maybe he needs a drink to forget his problems. He doesn't know that drinking causes more problems. This man needs help. What can she do? She has never been able to help her father." Mary's story, which also touches on possible child abuse, has proved a winner with American youngsters. Ghetto Kids boss Tommy Perez said of all the dolls, which sell for $39.99, Windy City Mary was the most popular.
Mr Perez said: "The dolls are there to open the doors on all sorts of subjects before society closes the doors on children who live like this. "We hope, through our products, to provide a source of enjoyment for children as well as information for their parents to help develop healthy discussions about serious issues. "The information provided will hopefully prepare children and answer questions they might have regarding issues like homelessness, peer pressure, crime, gangs, drugs, cigarettes and alcohol."
The dolls, which are available in Ireland by mail order from the Ghetto Kids website - www.ghettokidshood .com - have been slammed in the US for presenting a distorted picture of so-called ghetto life.
Chicago social worker Deborah Constance said: "These dolls represent the worst sort of negative stereotypes. "These children who live below the poverty line just do not live the sort of lives that these dolls are supposed to. "We see the kids from the Irish area of Chicago where the doll Mary is supposed to come from and they are little stars. They are angels. "Their parents are doing their best. Of Course there are alcholics and crack addicts out there, but you get those things everywhere. "It is very unfair to portray one racial group as drug addicts or alcoholics and it sends a very bad message to the children."


Copyright © 2002 Financial Times Limited - All Rights Reserved

WTH!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:

Ghetto Kidz
 

Hmmm,

IMHO this is either a thinly veiled racist joke, or some poor little rich kids half-hearted attempt at educating the races.

Interestingly enough, one of the stories described the caucasian girl as "golden-haired, and rosy-cheeked". No flattering descriptions were given of the African-American girl, who just happened to be wandering aimlessly in the park alone. :rolleyes: :eek: :confused: :mad: