The American Girl franchise of collectible dolls is threatening to take legal action against the creator of a parody image showing its "Karen" doll as a pistol-packing matron.The spoof ad is titled "Meet Karen, 2020 Girl of the Year." It's credited to "Adam the Creator," who posted it to Facebook with the caption, "This doll scares the shit out of me." Though American Girl has stated legal action will be taken, it remains to be seen if the threat can be lawfully enforced.
It features a middle-aged woman wearing a lavender tracksuit and grey tennis shoes. She is pushing a shopping cart with her left hand and wielding an automatic pistol in her right hand. The ad is captioned, "She's an independant (sic) thinker who refuses to wear a mask in public places!"Responding to a Twitter user complaining, "Is this what we want to teach our children?" American Girl responded, "Donna, we were equally disgusted with this post. Please be assured we are taking the appropriate steps to ensure this is removed."
However, the response promoted gibes from other Twitter users. One asked, "You're really going to go for the Streisand Effect on this one?" Another joked, "Did you try talking to the manager?"
American Girl, a subsidiary of Mattel, is a line of dolls that can be customized to any look the buyer wants. "Karen" has become a derisive term for a stereotype of an arrogant and entitled White woman. The ad evokes a homeowner in St. Louis on June 28 who stood in her yard with her husband wielding a pistol as Black Lives Matter protesters went past her property.