Fast forward a month or so, I'm visiting Greenville again and need a gift for Christmas. Go figure, I'm looking for a baby doll and not just that, I'm in the market for a black baby doll. I find none at "The Evil Empire" (a.k.a.WalMart) but am told by lil' sis that there is diversity to be found where she works... so I go there. I am on the doll aisle, Baby Islam long forgotten... I am bending to a low shelf when I hear a chorus of " gaaa gaa gurgle Islam is the Light". I look to see that the babies talking to me are a.) Fisher Price... not at all whom I expected to be responsible for this future recall and b.)the only 3 black babies on the shelf.
I gave up on my gift idea, because yeah, diversity is good but I didn't want to give a gift that may offend, convert my friends' children to Islam or have to be returned :)
Throughout the Christmas Shopping season, I could be found on baby doll aisles in every store, testing these dolls if they were in stock- just for kicks and usually random conversation with curious onlookers. For a while, I thought perhaps only the Upstate got a botched batch. But on Christmas Eve, I found an entire shelf of the little prophetesses at a WalMart here in the Lowcountry. This time, they were fair toned, but ironically, all brown eyed. The blue eyed babies did not say the phrase. Honest.
So, this time, I bought it. Logan was a little disappointed that she hadn't seen a present by accident when I told her " That's not a gift, that baby doll is mine" and Clay was a little more than surprised when, unaware of my purchase, the doll began to talk to him from the bag during a middle of the night fridge rummage.
After I was satisfied that everyone had heard the phrase too, and after I could no longer not hear the phrase, and long after I had become concerned that I found myself singing this phrase like the lines of an unforgettable song, my family made me return the doll. Which I did, but not before taking some footage. (yeah, I know the dolls may become one of those hot eBay items, but they said they were getting, and I quote "creeped out")
Exhibit A
The phrase is repeated every third activation... I took three separate shots to show it isn't a fluke, a low battery or a hoax...I could only get two to cooperate with Quicktime.
Exhibit B
I suspect there will be more buzz about this as the Christmas Gift Return Season ensues... now that all the dolls have been unwrapped and no doubt begun to share their "good news" with Little Mommies everywhere, I suspect Fisher Price will eventually do more than deny the whole thing ( their current status)
I do have to wonder if there would be any fear and/or outrage if the dolls were covertly saying "Jesus is the Light" ( my guess is yeah, there would be. Without proper warning, baby dolls should say little more than MaMa, DaDa, GaGa, GooGoo)