A 25-year-old mother from North Wales was furious over the discovery that the new Barbie her 7-year-old daughter was playing with seemed to be exuberantly declaring the phrase: "What the f***?"
The Barbie in question was a Life In the Dreamhouse Talking Barbie Doll, which was based on the animated web reality show-like series starring Barbie.
Talina Evans, who is pregnant with her second child, immediately brought the apparently dirty-mouthed doll back to the Home Bargains store where her husband purchased the toy as a gift for their daughter, but was unable to get a refund because she did not have the original receipt.
Furious, she demanded an explanation from the store, as well as Mattel, the toy company who manufactures Barbie. She said that she is not the only person who hears the smiling, blonde doll dropping the F-bomb.
The doll has been taken away from Evans' daughter, who she said was upset because she had wanted the Barbie for a long time but understood her mother's decision was for her own good.
"We just told her that the doll had been bad and was swearing so it had to go," Evans told the U.K.s Mirror newspaper.
Although a spokesperson in the U.K. for Mattel has confirmed that the offending phrase-speaking doll is being investigated, a video posted on The Huffington Post site offers a more innocent explanation.
In the comedy news video produced by WTFark, host Mike Rylander shows that a quick look into the list of prerecorded phrases that the doll plays back at the push of the button includes "I love makeovers," "There's no substitute for glitter," and "Off the hook!"
The last phrase is apparently what the doll is actually saying. Poor playback quality and the doll's tiny speakers distorted the phrase to be misheard as the offensive F-word.
