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Mattel
Discontinued: 1966 (briefly revived 1990s, final version 2014)
Allan debuted in 1964 as Ken's best friend. He could even wear Ken's clothes. Mattel later made him Midge's boyfriend, then husband, when they brought the characters back in the 1990s. But Allan never sold well. Rumors circulated about his relationship with Ken, creating problems in the conservative 1960s. After the 2023 Barbie movie, original Allan dolls have since jumped from $36-76 to $150-300 on eBay.
Discontinued: 2005
Margaret "Midge" Hadley Sherwood appeared in 1963 as Barbie's freckled, plain friend. Mattel stopped making her in 1967. She returned in 2002 as part of the "Happy Family" collection, now pregnant with a removable magnetic belly holding a plastic baby. Walmart pulled her after customers said she promoted teenage pregnancy. Investigators discovered that children used the pregnancy bump to store erasers and coins.
Discontinued: 1977
Growing Up Skipper launched in 1975. Twist her left arm, and she grew taller and developed breasts. The box called this a transformation from "cute, little girl" to "tall, curvy teenager." Mattel then made a similar doll, Growing Up Ginger, in 1976. But parents objected that it was not appropriate for children. After the backlash, Mattel stopped production two years later.
Discontinued: 1993
Mattel surveyed girls in 1993 about Ken's future. Should he stay as Barbie's boyfriend? Girls said yes, but wanted him to be cooler. His new makeover included a lavender mesh shirt, a purple vest, platinum blonde hair, and a pierced left ear. The gay community embraced him. He became the best-selling Ken ever. But oddly, Mattel discontinued the toy after six months but denied that controversy caused it, saying they changed 98% of their Barbie line yearly.
Discontinued: 2009
This Ken doll arrived in 2009 as part of Barbie's 50th anniversary Palm Beach line for adult collectors. He wore a suit and floral swim trunks. He came with a West Highland Terrier puppy named Sugar. People protested the name. Mattel explained: the dog was Sugar, making Ken "Sugar's Daddy." The explanation failed. So Mattel discontinued him.
Discontinued: 2012
Video Girl Barbie launched in 2010 with a camera lens in her necklace and a video screen on her back. She recorded up to 30 minutes of footage that you could download to a computer. US federal authorities warned that the hidden camera posed risks to children. They issued an advisory to all consumers.
Discontinued: 2017 (services ended July 15, 2019)
Another controversial Barbie. Hello Barbie connected to WiFi and talked with children using speech recognition. The doll sent audio to ToyTalk's servers for processing. Security researchers found hackers could access stored audio files and take over her microphone. Bad actors could speak directly to children through Barbie. Parents raised alarms about the doll collecting children's conversations and sending them to cloud servers.
Discontinued: 2001
Mattel released the white version of Oreo Fun Barbie in 2001. But the launch was problematic. The African American version sparked immediate controversy. "Oreo" is a slur for African Americans accused of "acting white": black outside, white inside. Mattel recalled the African American version and destroyed the remaining stock.
Discontinued: 2007
Tanner was a golden retriever that ate food and pooped it out for Barbie to clean up. Mattel recalled 680,000 units in 2007. The scoopers contained a magnet to pick up the dog's poop. The magnets came loose. If swallowed, they could choke children or perforate intestines.
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