4

Mattel Made A Homeless Doll For Rich Kids

Homelessness is a growing problem in the U.S., and that goes double for kids, 1 in 30 of whom don't have a race car bed to call their own. Most people prefer to ignore that issue. No more, said one U.S doll company, which decided to bravely advocate for homeless children ... for the low, low price of $95.

MattelBindle sold separately.

Nothing speaks to the struggles of homelessness quite like trying to sell rich kids unreasonably expensive dolls, right?

According to her backstory, Gwen lives in a car with her mother. Also included was a book and a movie titled Chrissa Stands Strong. You might notice that doesn't say "Gwen," and that's because the story is actually about a rich American Girl doll named Chrissa, and how she bravely defends Homeless Gwen from school bullies. Because, if you haven't figured it out, Gwen's only here to make the upper-middle class feel warm and fuzzy about themselves.

Gwen was a limited edition product, and Mattel was glad to be rid of her, since she was met with backlash from parents and homeless advocacy groups. The company did insist Gwen was meant to be a way for children to learn about homelessness and to send an anti-bullying message, but activists quickly pointed out that turning the whole situation into feel-good sop and not donating a single cent of the doll's proceeds to any organizations that help the homeless might not be the nicest way to raise awareness.

3

An Educational Game About Slavery Was Super Racist

In 1992, the Minnesota Educational Computing Corporation launched Freedom!, a slavery simulation game in which kids played a young African American boy in the 1830s trying to escape his plantation. The game's zealous adherence to "historical accuracy" made it a magnet for racism, as it portrayed its black characters as intellectually ... lacking, spouting lines like "I sees a runnin' look in yo' eyes, chile."

An Indiana parents' group sued both the developers and the school district, asserting that Freedom! "Nintendoized" slavery, turning a harrowing genocide into entertainment (though how much "entertainment" is debatable). One black family in Arizona launched their own lawsuit, as their 11-year-old son's classmates used the game to mock him. "He woke up crying at night. He was upset that he was being thought of as a slave." Jesus.

After only a few months, MECC pulled Freedom! from shelves and classrooms. They also told school districts to destroy any copies they had, so we guess a Switch remake isn't coming anytime soon.

Related: The 6 Most Politically Incorrect Video Game Moments

2

A Website Recommended That Kids Cosplay As Holocaust Victims

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas is a gripping novel that redraws the unmentionable horrors of the Holocaust through the eyes of children, as they imbue the horror and carnage with playful innocence, even while being viciously stripped of that very blessing. Or, if you're a children's lit website, it's a fun kid's book about pajamas!

Parenting blogger Bron Mandile (aka Maxabella Love) had a busy schedule. Writing for the Australian website Children's Book Daily, she had to think up 23(!) easy, no-fuss costumes for kids based on books. After exhausting every variation of the Hogwarts uniform, she recalled The Boy In The Striped Pajamas, which had a costume right in the dang title! Sure, it was in fact a novel for adults. About the Holocaust. In which 1.5 million children were tortured and murdered. And the titular "striped pajamas" are a concentration camp prisoner's uniform. But that's why she recommended it only for "older primary kids to honour."

1

Children's Books Keep Insisting That Black People Loved Slavery

A Fine Dessert and A Birthday Cake For George Washington are two amazing literary resources on American slavery. Yes, they truly teach us all how to absolutely not tackle that issue.

2015's A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat, written by children's author Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Sophie Blackall, shows children throughout the ages learning to make a sugary mess called blackberry fool. It drew some pretty sharp criticism because of one particular entry, set on a South Carolina plantation in 1810. That might be because the book portrays the protagonists, an enslaved mother and her enslaved daughter, having the time of their lives picking blackberries, making the dessert for their white owners, and finally hiding in a closet to lick the master's bowl clean.

Sophie Blackall/ScholasticNothing tastes better than leftovers mixed with spit.

Jenkins apologized for the insensitivity, and donated her writing fee to the We Need More Diverse Books initiative. And that would've been the end of that, except that publisher Scholastic has a very short memory. Barely a year later, they gave the go-ahead to A Birthday Cake For George Washington, another installment in their sweets 'n' slaves genre.

Written by Ramin Ganeshram and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton, it tells the "true" story of an enslaved cook named Hercules who loved baking treats for his favorite president/owner, George Washington. Of course, the true true story was that Hercules tried to escape Washington's estate countless times, and eventually did so only by abandoning his entire family, whom the Washingtons refused to free.

Vanessa Brantley-Newton/ScholasticWhitewashing has never smelled more delicious.

Both Scholastic and Ganeshram defended the book, with the latter mentioning "slave work pride" -- a term you usually only hear muffled by a white hood. A small portion of justice was eventually served, as the publisher gave in and pulled the book when they realized people simply weren't that into pretending slavery was merely a misunderstood vocational training program.

Support our site with a visit to our Contribution Page. Please and thank you.

For more, check out Why Bugs Bunny Is The Most Progressive Character Of All Time - Today's Topic:

The first-ever Cracked Podcast LIVE TOUR is coming to a city near (some of) you this spring! Tickets on sale now for Chicago (April 11) and St. Paul (April 12).

Follow us on Facebook. Because we love you.