In March 2000 appeared opinions in the media claiming that resistant vinyl used in Barbie dolls could contain toxic chemicals leakage, causing danger for girls who play with them. The claim was rejected as false by technical experts. A modern Barbie doll has a body made of ABS plastic, while the head is made of soft PVC. In September 2003, Saudi Arabia outlawed the sale of Barbie dolls, saying that they did not conform to the ideals of Islam. The Committee for the propagation of virtue and prevention of Vice stated Jewish Barbie dolls with their revealing clothes and shameful postures, accessories and tools are a symbol of the decline of the perverted West. Let us take care of its dangers and be careful. There is an alternative doll called Fulla which is similar to Barbie but is designed to be more acceptable to an Islamic market and not the factory in Middle East countries the Mattel Corporation.

Barbie is still available in other countries in the Middle East, including Egypt. In Iran, Sara and Dara dolls are available as an alternative to Barbie. 30 In December 2005 Dr. Agnes Nairn at the University of Bath in England published a study that suggests that girls often go through a stage where they hate their Barbie dolls and are subjected to a series of punishments, including decapitation and placing the wrist in the microwave. Dr. Naim said: is as if unaware of Barbie is a rite of passage and a rejection of their past.

in April 2009, the launch of a Totally Tatoo Barbie with a series of tattoos that could be applied to the wrist, including a lower back tattoo, giving rise to controversy. Mattel promotional material read: Customize the fashions and fun and apply temporary tattoos your also, but Ed may, executive director of Consumer Focus, argued that girls would like to be permanently tattooed also. In December 2010, the FBI found that the release of the Video Girl Barbie could be dangerous by the digital camera located on the chest of the doll with the purpose of taking pictures or even 30 minutes of recording that can be played on your wrist or downloaded through a USB port cable to a computerdue to the large number of pedophiles that this object could be used for the purpose of recording and marketing of child pornography. However Mattel made reference to many of the employees of the company are also parents and always considers the importance of children’s safety, he said that without a doubt this was priority number one taken into account in the manufacture of toys. In June 2011, the environmental organization Greenpeace denounced that Mattel, Barbie manufacturer company, used in the packaging of dolls carton provided by the Asia Pulp & Paper Company, accused of being responsible of the deforestation of the rainforests of Indonesia.