Local shopper questions doll’s religious message

WASILLA — Some Target customers in the Valley are angry over a doll that apparently says “Islam is the light” when activated by motion.

The doll has prompted some parents to ask the store to take it off shelves.

The toy in question, Fisher-Price’s Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Cuddle and Coo, is a motion-activated doll that babbles baby talk when activated. After listening to one of the dolls brought to the Frontiersman office, the toy seems to clearly say “Islam is the light” at the end of the third track.

Internal communication between local Target officials obtained from a store employee shows the reaction from parents has not taken lightly.

“Many guests and team members have heard what the baby says, and they are finding it extremely offensive,” the document says. “A guest recorded the baby and threatened to give it to the news if we didn’t pull immediately. Product has been pulled.”

But Nicole Engman of Wasilla said the baby is back on shelves at Target and she thinks it shouldn’t be there.

“I was shocked,” Engman said.

She said her main concern is the number of children who might receive the doll and hear what is says.

“The public needs to be aware of it,” Engman said.

Unlike many toys that talk, the Cuddle and Coo doll does not have quotes printed on the box indicating what it might say.

Engman pointed out the “Islam is the light” statement comes at the end of the third track, following some babble. She said a parent buying the doll might not hear the phrase before making a purchase.

Target reportedly has not announced plans to pull the product, and the manufacturer has not issued a recall.

Scott Hayes, the Wasilla Target store manager, said he doesn’t have a comment on the issue because he has to see how the company’s going to respond.

Whether to pull the product is up to Target corporate, Hayes said. Target’s normal return policy will apply to the doll.

Consumers complaining about the talking doll aren’t limited to the Mat-Su Valley. Across the country, reports say some can clearly hear the entire phrase, while others say only the word “light” can be clearly heard. Others have said the phrase appears to be a subliminal message.

A newspaper in Greenville, Tenn., ran a lengthy article featuring a local resident who said she got the creeps from the doll. A man in Plano, Texas, told his local news he doesn’t think the doll is appropriate for young children.

Fisher-Price has reportedly said it will change the recording in future dolls, which will eliminate the “Islam is the Light” phrase.

There have been no reports or word from the manufacturer as to how the phrase might have ended up on the recording.