Here's How The Single Most Sexist Barbie Ever Changed 'Simpsons' History
One of the very best Lisa-centric episodes of The Simpsons found Homer and Marge’s daughter taking on the toy industry. Season Five’s “Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy” begins with the release of the new “Talking Malibu Stacy” doll, which turns out to be a mouthpiece for sexist drivel like “I wish they taught shopping in school,” “let’s bake some cookies for the boys” and “don’t ask me, I’m just a girl!”
Sadly, Lisa’s efforts to fight the toy’s misogynistic stereotypes by partnering with Malibu Stacy's reclusive creator to create a new, more progressive doll are ultimately thwarted by a “stupid, cheap hat.”
Obviously the Malibu Stacy brand was a thinly-veiled stand-in for Mattel’s Barbie empire, but some fans may not realize that the episode’s storyline was inspired by one specific Barbie.
Back in 1992, Mattel released the “Teen Talk Barbie,” which was programmed to say four different phrases from a library of 270. Some of the possible phrases included “Let's plan our dream wedding!" and “I love shopping!” – but oddly not “Where the heck did Ken’s dick go?”
One phrase in particular sparked a massive backlash: “Math class is tough!
As The New York Times reported at the time, “the American Association of University Women attacked the math comment in a report on how schools shortchange girls.” It similarly earned rebukes from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and other groups, eventually forcing Mattel to yank the line from circulation and issue an apology.
“‘Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy’ came from two different incidents about Barbie from the same era,” the episode’s co-writer told Cracked’s Brian VanHooker. “First there was that ‘Math Is Hard’ Barbie, which spawned outrage. Then there was the ‘Barbie Liberation Organization,’ which was an anonymous group of feminist activists who, in 1993, went into Toys ‘R’ Uses all over the country and switched the voice boxes of G.I. Joes and Barbies.”
And the Barbie Liberation Organization was a direct response to the Teen Talk Barbie controversy. After switching the voice boxes, “the Barbies said things like, ‘Dead men tell no lies,’ while G.I. Joe said, ‘I love to shop,’” the group’s founder, Igor Vamos explained. “Both of those toys have their cultural baggage, which was really easy to see when their voice boxes were swapped.”
But at least Teen Talk Barbie inadvertently led to a classic Simpsons episode, which is more than we can say for Audio Surveillance Barbie.