When good toys go bad: Little Mermaid doll may call you a "slut"

We're not sure if Ariel here got into the same stuff that made Asimo unable to stand on its own two feet, but according to a shocked (shocked!) mom in San Jose, the previously innocent Little Mermaid Shimmering Lights Ariel doll has turned potty mouth, reportedly adding the phrase "you're a slut" to its usual repertoire of pleasantries. Ever the investigative journalists, the folks at ABC News decided to get to the bottom of this controversy themselves, buying a doll and shooting a video of the profanity in question. As the video shows, however, this doesn't appear the result of a mischievous toymaker trying to corrupt young minds by slipping in a little surprise before the doll runs off the assembly line, with the offending phrase just barely recognizable and more than likely the result of the power of suggestion -- which must also explain why our Roomba seems to keep calling us a slob.

[Via Fark]

[Nick @ Dec 11th 2006 5:16PM]

I just watched the video on ABC. I couldn't hear it.

[sam.j.lopez @ Dec 11th 2006 5:21PM]

me neither. maybe beautiful sounds like YOU'RE a slut?!

[nodnetni @ Dec 11th 2006 5:22PM]

We need to stop letting stupid people breed.

[Landincoldfire @ Dec 11th 2006 5:29PM]

I couldn't hear it, though it should be thrown in the trash for sounding like crap.

[Mr.Ortiz @ Dec 11th 2006 5:32PM]

I heard "Watch CNN" over and over in the first part of the video, ABC might want to take this down. Well, it was either that or "Mike Mussina". I guess Ariel's a Yankees fan.

[Razor @ Dec 11th 2006 5:35PM]

This is just one of the many reasons why I don't watch ABC news...

[Brian @ Dec 11th 2006 5:39PM]

only thing wrong with this toy is that it's annoying to hear an adult press the button for 2 mins; trying to spark controversy, over a word that it "sounds" like it's saying, get a new hobby America...

[mdfavero @ Dec 11th 2006 5:41PM]

ABC News: Disney's new PR department...

[Wardell Latham @ Dec 11th 2006 5:41PM]

Maybe that mother was just hearing her guilty conscience, hmmm....lol.

[CWar @ Dec 11th 2006 5:49PM]

I heard it repeating, "Say-lut." How ever did it become, "you're a slut"? This is incredibly idiotic.

[Near @ Dec 11th 2006 5:54PM]

I couldn't hear it. I think it's just an exaggeration.
http://funnyvideos.canbeseenhere.com

[Jenny Talia @ Dec 11th 2006 6:03PM]

Ariel calls them as she sees them.

[Mike @ Dec 11th 2006 6:18PM]

Well I bought one myself to check and I heard it saying "shire!....baggins!...my precious!....we wants the precious!...master stole the precious!" and then suddenly it said "You...shall not...pass!!", but then I threw it from the bridge of Khazad-d�m into the shadows of Moria where it was eaten by a Balrog and will therefore harm no more concerned mothers who will know the wrath of Sauron if they keep "hearing" stuff from a doll.

[Ryan @ Dec 11th 2006 6:31PM]

After listening to it, i swear she was saying "Chuck Norris"

[Eddie @ Dec 11th 2006 6:32PM]

I could definately hear it say "You are such a slut."

It's toward the end of the video, though.

[tiuk @ Dec 11th 2006 6:44PM]

Wow, yeah, that's really reaching.

[Andrew @ Dec 11th 2006 7:05PM]

Ariel is hot

[DMB @ Dec 11th 2006 7:23PM]

That's nothing, my kid had a toy where you're supposed to rotate an arrow in the center and it points to various animals and birds. First time you point at a duck, for example, it says "It's a duck". But if you point it to duck twice in a row, it says "It's a duck, bitch!". I kid you not. You can clearly discern the expletive.

[Kain Azeroth @ Dec 11th 2006 10:47PM]

Duck in an explative? Eh, Who knew.

[FoxDude @ Dec 14th 2006 8:47AM]

It's a dead battery. You're a wonderful what ever, cuts out when trying to say wonderful. So, as it says, "You're a wo" wo sounding like "wuh" which somehow sounds like slut. Good job mothers keeping your girls safe from harmful words.

[shmengie @ Dec 11th 2006 8:06PM]

gotta get one of those for my ex-gf...

[v_dogg @ Dec 11th 2006 8:33PM]

looks more like arial is a slut

[Rick @ Dec 11th 2006 8:34PM]

Ariel, you ROCK! I am buying a sload of these. I have at least 3 nieces that could definately use these.

[psxp @ Dec 11th 2006 8:52PM]

slow news day?

[David @ Dec 11th 2006 8:58PM]

Don't push the button so fast? Stupid slut... if you don't follow directions and get an undesireable result whose fault is it!?

[russ @ Dec 11th 2006 9:35PM]

Give me a break. One of the phrases she says is "You're a wonderful friend" I think the alleged "you're a slut" phrase is really the "you're a wonderful friend" cut off and repeated "you're a wond...you're a wond...you're a wond"

[Austin @ Dec 11th 2006 9:48PM]

Hardly the most offensive Little Mermaid doll out there. What about the uber offensive tower on the movie poster. MUCH worse. And not very subtle.

http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/mermaid.htm#add

[Secret Squirrel @ Dec 12th 2006 4:38PM]

...and neither is true, the chip is clearly glitching, no one is pressing any buttons. The coral shaft poster and this doll are both false vulgarities... =/

[Googenheim @ Dec 11th 2006 10:49PM]

Uhhh...didn't hear anything here. Wow...what a waste of time and effort, ABC should take it down.

[Gr1zz @ Dec 11th 2006 11:11PM]

I got got home from target, where i bought one for my brothers kid. This is going to be a riot at christmas!!

[cyberfloatie @ Dec 12th 2006 12:09AM]

I'm amazed that ABC couldn't produce a better quality recording. It's more embarrassing than the crappy toy!

[Scooter @ Dec 12th 2006 12:20AM]

er, market opening anyone? "Potty Mouth [name of character]"
Dressed in an Offensive Binary T-shirt, natch.

[[e-mail] @ Dec 12th 2006 9:58AM]

I have a comment about the grammar in this article. Theres a tremendous run-on sentence at the end. It can be confusing if a sentence has many commas, not to mention the deviations in thought between each comma, however cool it is, can be easy to trail off and make the readers disinterested and confused.

[Wholesome Goodness @ Dec 12th 2006 10:25AM]

I would have thought the mother would have been more offended by the doll saying "You're nipples are so beautiful". (Check the 34 second mark in the vid).

[Dan @ Dec 12th 2006 1:07PM]

I could hear it, but it took many times. Like someone said before, it was kinda an exaggeration... i'm sure everyone has had a toy that when you press it multiple times you could *think* you're hearing something else.

[Eric Pham @ Dec 15th 2006 11:13PM]

Wow the biggest non story ever ever.

[Linus Torvalds @ Apr 15th 2007 9:17AM]

Yeah, I can definitely hear it. It also sounds like it is saying Chuck Norris, so it really is subjective. Bottom line is WTF, find something better to do with your time

[jaldhib @ May 6th 2009 11:36PM]

hey guys do you want to have some fun with me?