Cuddlin, cooin, and proselytizin

More on [1] this story. "Mattel's 'Cuddle 'N Coo' preaches Islam, local minister claims," from [2] City Pages, November 3:

Is Osama Bin Laden recruiting Jihadis with talking baby dolls? Osama Bin Laden has hijacked Mattel's Cuddle 'n Coo doll and is using it to indoctrinate American children!

That seems to be the gist of the conspiracy theory offered by Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries in Maple Grove last week.

"It does seem to be saying, 'Islam is the light.' I don't think too many people would argue with that," Markell told OneNewsNow. "And this is not a healthy thing to be putting out in the marketplace when we're in a war on terror, and little children are so susceptible to the messages they hear."

Mattel spokeswoman Lisa Marie Bongiovanni maintains that the only word the doll is programmed to say is "Mama." Other than that it just coos, giggles, and babbles incoherently, just like a real American baby.

"There may be something in there that resembles the word night, or light, or right, but that is all it is," Bongiovanni says, adding that the sound could be distorted because of the toy's small speaker. Mattel is reconfiguring the recording to prevent any future misunderstandings.

Meanwhile, Markell is a little uneasy about leading the charge against "Cuddle 'n Coo." Despite calling us back and talking for 10 minutes, she later said she didn't want to be quoted.

"The Islamic community could turn on me," she feared.

They might even deploy their army of evil toys! —Beth Walton.