MOSCOW NOV. 17. Russian authorities may ban the famous Barbie dolls along with a range of other toys suspected of damaging children's psyche.
The venerable Barbie doll is a prime target in a war declared by the Russian
Education Ministry against toys that "provoke aggression, fear and premature
sexuality'' among children.
Russian experts have found that Barbie affects the psychology of small girls, making them pretentious, indifferent and sexually aware. ``Girls who play with Barbie dolls start feeling like grownup women who buy fancy dresses and
posh furniture,'' said Natalya Grishayeva, psychologist.
"As they grow up the girls also tend to develop an inferiority complex if they can't look exactly like the Barbie doll.''
Barbie has been a smash success in Russia since it opened its market to imports ten years ago. Russian shops today offer a wide range of foreign-made toys, some of which are feared to be harmful to children's tender souls.
The Education Ministry now wants to rebuild a system of stringent controls over the quality of toys that existed in the Soviet Union but fell apart after its collapse.
A special government agency will test all toys and computer games for their social, psychological and pedagogical effects on children and ban those that
fail the test. The move comes amid growing concern over the onslaught of Western mass culture on Russian society. Earlier this year the government decided to support domestic film production to reduce the domination of Hollywood movies in the Russian cinemas and on television.