Should Some Sort Of Age Limit Be Imposed Regarding The Sale Of Gore-Themed Dolls?

I don't think so...I mean, just detaching the head or hands of a doll...do you need to put age restrictions on that? Plus, there are a lot of worse things littered on the internet or even on television.

 

I don't think "scary" dolls should have an age limit,
If anything, they should have an age limit because they have Female and Male nude features.

For scary, I don't think so.
But I think they should for other reasons.

 

This seems like a very good way of doing absolutely nothing to make a difference.
People who want the doll and have the money, no matter their age, are going to buy it. End of story. It doesn't matter what kind of warning label you attach or restrictions you try to apply.
This goes for a lot of situations, not just the one with gory dolls. I just think it's completely silly.

 

This discussion seems to be falling under the heading of micromanaging the actions and ethics of a disparate group of hobbyists. That sounds pretty impossible to me. I also don't believe is swaddling people in cotton wool. There are some really awful things on this planet, and if a couple gory dolls are going to send somebody into a swoon, then honey, they're too delicate to survive long anyhow.

This is an issue best handled at the local level, and asking the doll companies to police their customers adds a needless layer of complication to an already lengthy and complicated process.

 

Yes but keep in mind companies can get in trouble without age limit on certain things,
If someone of proper age buys it and gives it to a lesser aged person, That can't become the companies fault.
But if the company straight up lets any age have it, It could be a problem for the company, by law.

EDIT: That is of course law by different countries and areas.

 

I'm sorry they disturb you but it's an artists right to express themselves and I personally like ringdoll's dolls, I wouldn't consider them overly gory besides the blood, their 17 thing is to save their own butts. It's one of those if you, don't like them or find them inappropriate don't buy them for you or any one young.


Lying about your age isn't that hard to do, especially if it's international and you REALLY want to xD...


honestly, most of the gore doll's I've seen on here are relatively tame compared to some hobbies "extremes"....


No matter what, someone will always be offended....always....

On this site we have the following that might be considered "offensive" to some viewers:

-Dolls that are homosexual or bisexual (or are accepting of it)
-Dolls with tattoos could be offensive
-"optional attachment" erection pieces
-Yo-sd's with boobs
-Same sex couples who have a kid
-Lots of piercings
-Dolls drinking
-Soft core sex
-Giving the middle finger or other rude gesutres
-Slutty dolls, full nudity (even artistically)
-Partial nudity
-Android dolls
-Alien dolls
-Anthros
-Anthros with boobs
-Dolls that have "cheated" on their doll partners
-Doll genitalia (some of which is decorated with pubic hair or blushed to be realistic)
-Dolls that are dead people
-Dolls that are supernatural beings
-Dolls that are Gods
-Dolls with Godlike powers
-Transsexual dolls
-Trans Gendered dolls
-Cross dressing dolls
-Dolls with excessive and visible scaring
-Dolls that are mages/witches
-Pregnant dolls (that may or may not be married or underage)

....need I say more?

 

I'm pretty sure the whole "age restriction" thing is for the sole purpose of being allowed to continue advertising on facebook, and not a darn thing to do with the actual levels of gore. Unless they somehow got a complaint from one of these stupid "children first" organizations that get their panties in a wad every time some artist makes something that isn't all puppies and rainbows and pretty girls.

I'm reminded of the repeat attempts to ban Korn, Insane Clown Posse, Slipknot, and Marilyn Manson from MTV. Only slightly more successful, because people are too afraid of lawsuits to stand up for artists. It's censorship, plain and simple.

 

Yeah, you forgot cigarettes! Gasp! Your doll might be promoting cancer!

Warnings for movies/TV that show tobacco use, that one absolutely slays me. So much for letting your kid watch any movie made before 2001. And so much for protecting your kid from the influence of something s/he sees other kids doing every day at school. (Whose public-junior-high-school alma mater didn't have at least 1 informally-designated smoking bathroom, where all the Bad Kids hang out?)

 

Lol!
I absolutely loved scary/gorey stuff as a kid. Even more so than I do now. All kids I have ever met also love to be frightened and hear about gross things. Ghost stories etc. If I would have seen Ringdoll's Horror themed dolls as a kid I would most likely have said "Eeeew! That is so coool!"
Censorship to me is always a bad thing. It is parents responsibility to monitor their kids. No one else's. And I believe we shelter the children of today way too much already.

 

In all reality, this is hardly the first time the sale of a doll has been age-restricted, although it's the first I've heard of in relation to gore. Usually it's because the doll is anatomically correct (which, admittedly, most BJDs are, yet no one seems to kick about that) or sexually themed.

"Billy" was billed as an "openly gay" doll sold in the 1990s. Like "Lili" before him, he was marketed as an adult novelty. (Lili was, of course, the prototype/inspiration for Barbie.) There have been dolls sold of Playboy and Penthouse models who were painstakingly anatomically correct as well. I don't believe the sale of any of these dolls was age-restricted, although there were plenty of disclaimers that the doll in question was meant for adults, was anatomically correct, and was not intended for children.

In truth, over here in America, a doll will be "age-restricted" a lot faster because of anatomical details than because of blood or gore. There are, of course, exceptions. Just a few years back parents were screaming about a wrestling doll--excuse me, action figure--who came with a woman's decapitated head as an accessory. It wasn't intended to represent that, of course--the wrestler in question carried around a mannequin head he referred to as his "girlfriend". But in the poo-storm of controversy, that little fact was lost.

 

SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy.This includes within your resin collection. You doll abuser. How could you.

Sorry, I had to.

Regarding that other post, I think the detachable 'erection' penises freak me out and horrify me more than blood does. >.> Sorry, but there's something about being able to remove my dolls genitalia that gave me the heebie jeebies. I put the normal one on and hid the rest under my bed XD

 

Of course we need to say more! You forgot:

-Dolls who are time travelers
-Dolls who are gothic punk bikers (who are quite possibly vampires and/or succubi)
-Dolls who are mutants/freaks of nature
-Dolls who are assassins/ninja/spies
-Dolls that practice "hoodoo"
-Dolls who are the minions of world-enslaving overlords

...oh, wait, those are my dolls.

 

Okay, I finally went and looked at Jessica, the doll who got all this started. And I was like "...what?"

No.

Seriously.

What.

So she's got two outfits (a black dress and a "Chainsaw Massacre"-inspired one), a blood-splattered rag doll, a toy chainsaw, and an alternate head that has "dark" makeup applied. These elements, by their very nature, make her completely unsuitable for anyone under the age of 17.

...not.

Seriously, folks. The Living Dead Doll series blows this chick out of the cemetery. A few artistic blood splatters, gothy makeup and a plastic chainsaw does NOT rate an NC-17 designation.

Personally? I think the age restriction on purchasing is either complete naivete on the company's part (highly unlikely) or simply a marketing gimmick (rather less unlikely).

 

I'm betting less on "naivete" or "gimmick", and betting more on "somebody sued/ threatened to sue another scary-doll maker somewhere & Ringdoll just wanted a little extra layer of legal protection on their butts".

Norman & Jessica aren't the first horror-dolls being sold out there, not by a long shot-- but it must be said that Ringdoll did some great specifically gory backstories, which might really give some delicate-type people pause. I mean, Norman has an exciting dual career as a serial murderer & orphanage director! XD Beat THAT, Stewardess/Senator Barbie!

 

So much win there! ^o^

There are similar owner concepts for dolls, though. At least they're colourful? ^^
I don't really care for the concepts the company has in mind for their dolls. But sometimes they're really fun to read. And remember: those are dolls.

 

This reminds me of when I was younger and my mum would let me watch gory films but when the nudity came on she would cover my eyes... This works the other way round, to put an age restriction on a doll because of gore is absolutely ridiculous.
However, what about the dolls with 'extra parts' like the erection pieces, should they be age restricted? How do people feel about those?

 

I would prefer my kids to play with a rotting zombie doll than an tiny erected penis personnaly .__.

someone above mentionned gay dolls, nudity and such. I think those should have a warning. personnaly I do not like to see either. and it's really awkward if you open this kind of link at work or school

 

I don't like seeing dolls with bad faceups or poorly set eyes or badly fitting clothing, but I don't need or expect to have a warning put on photos of dolls with those things. If you see something you don't like, hit the back button and get over it.

 

Scary is a totally arbitrary word. Frilly, lacy porcelain dolls scare some people to death. A gore doll like this wouldn't even make many people, regardless of age, flinch.

You can put all the restrictions you want on something but, at the end of the day, you can't control how people view it or whose hands it ultimately ends up in. Restrictions like that serve only as a warning. Or can heed it or not. Totally up to the buyer.

 

I completely understand where your coming from, and there's nothing wrong with what your saying. I don't find it offending like some people do. We all have our own opinions on things like this. You do have a good point but now these days horror movies are only pg13. I think this kind of thing would have to be up to a parent. Some strict families might have rules on this kind of thing. But to say its to scary for a young kid is wrong. Some kids love scary dolls. I know I did as a kid and I still do. I have little apple dolls that are sorta scary I guess and I let my one year old nephew play with them and he loves them, not scared one bit. I wouldn't have a problem If I had one of these ringdolls and I would showed it to kids. Sure some might be scared and some might love it. It depends on the type of person you are. My little sister was terrified of just regular baby dolls that in no way looked scary and she put it on the stove and set it on fire! LOL

I don't think there should be an age limit, if a young kid loves dolls but thinks this one is scary they just wont buy it. I don't think it would do any damage to them mentally. I think only something like that would happen if you forced the doll upon them and traumatized them some how. Some kids are just different and love the idea of scary dolls. You can walk into the mall and some stores carry scary looking dolls, so kids probably see them a lot, not to mention watching horror doll movies, I watch them at young age didn't affect me one bit.

It all depends on the person, some think these dolls are scary and some think they are beautiful. If a kid is under a certain age or still living in the house, it might have to be discussed with the parent before purchasing but other than that. I think its completely okay if a young person sees and wants one these dolls. I personally see it as a gothic kind of art and its lovely.