BDSM Barbie

It’s a pretty safe bet that nearly every American female is familiar with Barbie dolls these days. Barbie has certainly had plenty of time to grow up considering that the popular fashion doll has been manufactured by the Mattel toy company since March of 1959. An American businesswoman named Ruth Handler is widely credited with the inspiration to create the first Barbie doll that was loosely based on a German toy doll called Bild Lilli that was very popular in post-war Europe during the early 1950s. In the years that followed, the Barbie doll became the most popular and widely recognized toy doll the world had ever seen. Over time, Barbie eventually became the main image and figurehead for a huge and growing brand of Barbie-related Mattel dolls and accessories that came to include a whole world of Barbie. The Barbie line eventually included many different varieties of the original Barbie that represented many different cultures and many different accessories ranging from complete culturally correct wardrobes to modern Barbie cars and accessory-filled Barbie houses too.

The business aspect of all things related to Barbie has created a thriving industry and marketplace that has lasted over fifty years and shows no signs of slowing in creativity and popularity today. As such an important part of the toy fashion doll marketplace, Barbie has also been the focus of many spin-offs and less than politically correct controversies that have centered on parodies of the doll and her pampered imaginary lifestyle. As a doll that represents an attractive female figure, many of the parodies and put-ons of Barbie over the years have been focused on the imaginary sexual exploits that a girl like Barbie might find herself involved with. The parodies may come and go, and of course, none of them show signs of the enduring qualities that the original doll had, but the latest twist on Barbie’s sex life on display in an Ottawa, Canada adult emporium shop’s front window has been causing a bit of renewed controversy 

According to reports in the Ottawa Sun newspaper, the trouble started when Wanda Cotie, the owner of Wicked Wanda's Adult Emporium, permitted a local artist to use her street front window as a place to create a Bondage, Discipline, Dominance and Sadomasochism (BDSM) themed holiday doll display. The result was a window display with Barbie dolls reflecting the BDSM themes in E.L. James' current and best-selling erotic trilogy called 50 Shades of Grey. James’ book has inspired a lot of erotic spin-off products, including books, music, makeup, and sex toys, but some people are saying that Wanda’s window display is past the point of reasonable taste for public viewing because the dolls are openly shown engaged in whipping, bondage and oral and anal sex.

Obviously, not every citizen of Ottawa is a fan of doll-based, public erotic displays and some have complained to a local business association. However, the proprietors of Wicked Wanda’s said the response from the public had been mostly positive, and they did not think removal of the display was necessary. The display was still up during the last week of the year, but as a concession to the sensibilities of any local children who might happen to see the unusual scenario when walking down the street, Wicked Wanda’s has covered up the lower part of the window to prevent any small children from being able to see it.