Iran cracks down on Barbie doll sales
CHICAGO (MarketWatch) — Iranian police have shut down toy shops for selling Barbie dolls as part of an ongoing campaign against signs of Western culture, the Associated Press reports, citing the country’s semiofficial news agency. Dozens of stores were shuttered in the capital of Tehran for selling the dolls, which are made by Mattel and have technically been banned in the rigidly Islamic republic for more than a decade. Officials began seizing the toys in 2002, the AP noted, but that campaign was suspended. Iran then rolled out its own dolls — Dara and Sara — that were supposed to promote more traditional values but they were unable to dent Barbie’s popularity.
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