Vulpix
01-04-2009, 06:50 PM
Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1105004/BBC-race-row-In-The-Night-Garden-doll-thats-white.html): It is not the first time that a television character has become embroiled in a racism row.
But on this occasion no-one is blaming the figure at the centre of the controversy - given that she is a small, furry doll inhabiting a magical, secret world.
Instead it is the BBC who are coming under fire after parents complained that a toy doll from the hit children's show In The Night Garden appears to have undergone skin-lightening.
While the character Upsy Daisy is brown-skinned, the version sold in the shops by American toy giant Hasbro is far lighter in colour, leading to accusations that the corporation has bowed to commercial pressures.
The BBC has denied any sinister motive, but yesterday it revealed that the doll was to be pulled in favour of a new version more faithful to Upsy Daisy's on-screen guise.
Produced by the team behind Teletubbies, In The Night Garden has become Britain's most popular children's TV franchise, earning £18million in the last year.
Central character Upsy Daisy has dark skin and what appear to be multi-coloured dreadlocks, although according to the show's creators 'she is not intended to represent a specific race or culture'.
But parents who bought the doll version for their children said they were shocked by how light its skin was and began an Internet campaign to persuade the BBC to
change it.
One, Robyn Price, 34, said: 'Upsy Daisy is brown - my four year old daughter couldn't understand why I had brought home a white-faced Upsy Daisy doll.
'There was no reason to do it. The BBC have created their own racism row.'
Another said: 'Obviously they are fantasy characters, but Upsy Daisy does look like a doll with African heritage, and that's one of the nice things about the show.
'It gives children good role models.'
Upsy Daisy doll has been whitened.
'Now I realise that the toys have been manufactured in order to make a profit and it has clearly been decided that a black Upsy Daisy will not make as much money as a white Upsy Daisy.
'The colour of the character hasn't stopped the programme being one of the most popular on TV for this age group, so why did the BBC and the toy manufacturers make this sad and short-sighted decision?'
And a spokesman for the National Assembly Against Racism said: 'By replacing the only brown character with a white-tinted doll, it looks as if the producers of the doll have reverted to racist 1950s attitudes.
'The BBC should pull its contract with the manufacturers immediately.'
The BBC insisted there was an innocent explanation, saying the lighter-skinned Upsy
Daisy matched an animated version of the character which runs at the end of the show, rather than the darker-skinned puppet which takes part in the main action.
However, in response to what it described as 'a small number' of complaints, it commissioned a brand consultancy to compare the likeness of the In The Night Garden dolls with their on-screen characters.
A spokesman for BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm, said: 'The findings showed most consumers were happy with the toys, but a number of people wanted the Upsy Daisy doll to have a darker face colour to more closely represent how she appears in the live-action element of the TV show.'
As a result, Hasbro has been asked to phase out the existing doll, with a more faithful reproduction expected to be on the shelves by Easter.
It is by no means the first time a commercial representation of a star - real or fictional - has reportedly undergone skin-lightening.
Cosmetics firm L'Oréal was last year accused of digitally lightening singer Beyoncé Knowles's skin for an advertising campaign which critics said made her look 'nearly white'.
In The Night Garden is a joint venture between creators Ragdoll Productions and BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm.
BBC Worldwide awards licences to companies like Hasbro around the world to create products based on its characters, for example dolls or sleeping bags, in return for royalty payments.
The number of Upsy Daisy dolls sold to date has not been revealed by Hasbro, but overall sales of toys based on the series is expected to have topped £20million in 2008, including 700,000 items of nightwear and underwear.
That would see the franchise overtake Winnie The Pooh as the most lucrative in the "infant" sector - children aged up to 18 months.
The dolls are described as puppets.
But on this occasion no-one is blaming the figure at the centre of the controversy - given that she is a small, furry doll inhabiting a magical, secret world.
Instead it is the BBC who are coming under fire after parents complained that a toy doll from the hit children's show In The Night Garden appears to have undergone skin-lightening.
While the character Upsy Daisy is brown-skinned, the version sold in the shops by American toy giant Hasbro is far lighter in colour, leading to accusations that the corporation has bowed to commercial pressures.
The BBC has denied any sinister motive, but yesterday it revealed that the doll was to be pulled in favour of a new version more faithful to Upsy Daisy's on-screen guise.
Produced by the team behind Teletubbies, In The Night Garden has become Britain's most popular children's TV franchise, earning £18million in the last year.
Central character Upsy Daisy has dark skin and what appear to be multi-coloured dreadlocks, although according to the show's creators 'she is not intended to represent a specific race or culture'.
But parents who bought the doll version for their children said they were shocked by how light its skin was and began an Internet campaign to persuade the BBC to
change it.
One, Robyn Price, 34, said: 'Upsy Daisy is brown - my four year old daughter couldn't understand why I had brought home a white-faced Upsy Daisy doll.
'There was no reason to do it. The BBC have created their own racism row.'
Another said: 'Obviously they are fantasy characters, but Upsy Daisy does look like a doll with African heritage, and that's one of the nice things about the show.
'It gives children good role models.'
Upsy Daisy doll has been whitened.
'Now I realise that the toys have been manufactured in order to make a profit and it has clearly been decided that a black Upsy Daisy will not make as much money as a white Upsy Daisy.
'The colour of the character hasn't stopped the programme being one of the most popular on TV for this age group, so why did the BBC and the toy manufacturers make this sad and short-sighted decision?'
And a spokesman for the National Assembly Against Racism said: 'By replacing the only brown character with a white-tinted doll, it looks as if the producers of the doll have reverted to racist 1950s attitudes.
'The BBC should pull its contract with the manufacturers immediately.'
The BBC insisted there was an innocent explanation, saying the lighter-skinned Upsy
Daisy matched an animated version of the character which runs at the end of the show, rather than the darker-skinned puppet which takes part in the main action.
However, in response to what it described as 'a small number' of complaints, it commissioned a brand consultancy to compare the likeness of the In The Night Garden dolls with their on-screen characters.
A spokesman for BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm, said: 'The findings showed most consumers were happy with the toys, but a number of people wanted the Upsy Daisy doll to have a darker face colour to more closely represent how she appears in the live-action element of the TV show.'
As a result, Hasbro has been asked to phase out the existing doll, with a more faithful reproduction expected to be on the shelves by Easter.
It is by no means the first time a commercial representation of a star - real or fictional - has reportedly undergone skin-lightening.
Cosmetics firm L'Oréal was last year accused of digitally lightening singer Beyoncé Knowles's skin for an advertising campaign which critics said made her look 'nearly white'.
In The Night Garden is a joint venture between creators Ragdoll Productions and BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm.
BBC Worldwide awards licences to companies like Hasbro around the world to create products based on its characters, for example dolls or sleeping bags, in return for royalty payments.
The number of Upsy Daisy dolls sold to date has not been revealed by Hasbro, but overall sales of toys based on the series is expected to have topped £20million in 2008, including 700,000 items of nightwear and underwear.
That would see the franchise overtake Winnie The Pooh as the most lucrative in the "infant" sector - children aged up to 18 months.
The dolls are described as puppets.