Disney Presents Mexican Spanish-Singing Doll: Is 'It's A Small World' Ethnic Doll Too Stereotypical?

One of the most popular and iconic Disneyland Park attractions is not a fast-paced gut-wrenching rollercoaster, but instead, a family-friendly musical boat ride that was created to promote peace. The "It's A Small World" ride first debuted at the New York World’s Fair in 1964 and almost 50 years later, the classic Fantasyland attraction is now available at Disney Parks around the world. "It's A Small World" features 300 international animatronic dolls greeting visitors to the song of the same name, composed by Oscar-winner Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman.

In fall of 2013, the Disney Store launched a series of Disney Animator’s dolls and plush toys inspired by the "It's A Small World" ride. The creative team at the Disney Store conceived the line using the original designs and illustrations of imaginative color stylist and designer Mary Blair, who designed and conceptualized the famous musical ride.

The dolls in the new line come from various ethnic backgrounds and sing in both English and their native language. Initially, there were seven dolls offered in the ''It's A Small World'' Disney Animators' collection: France, Hawai’i, India, Holland, England, Japan and Kenya. But now online newspaper Tendencias is reporting that a Mexico themed singing character doll will be launched in the United States.

The doll--which measures H45 x W47 x D38cm and arrives in a collector's display box--wears a traditional Mexican puebla dress with a flower, ribbon, and glitter detailing. The Mexican doll wears molded flat shoes, a satin scarf with metallic tassels, and has braids styled with flowers. When pressed in the tummy, the battery operated doll sings "It's A Small World" in both English and Spanish.

While the doll has been available in the UK stores since Oct. 1, 2013--where it is being retailed for $41.56 (at £0.60 to the dollar)--it has been noticeably missing from the U.S. Disney stores. Taking into consideration that a recent analysis of Census Bureau data by Pew Research Center found that 33.7 million Hispanics of Mexican origin resided in the United States in 2012 and that Mexicans are the largest Hispanic-origin population in the United States, the doll's exclusion from the U.S. Disney stores is surprising, to say the least.

What's not surprising is the critical response to the doll's attire, which one can argue is perpetuating a stereotype of how Mexican's dress with the Puebla ensemble. Critics of the doll are correct about one thing: the doll does not reflect the current sartorial styles followed by the country, which sports the same contemporary styles seen across the globe. In fact, the traditional attire was worn centuries ago in the past and currently can only be seen in small towns and villages or during festive celebrations.

Historically, the Puebla dress is attached to ancient folklore dating to the 17th century. According to the story, a girl from the East (variations of the story say she was from China, Phillippines, and India) was brought to Puebla, Mexico by Spaniards as a slave. Despite being baptized and renamed Catarina de San Juan, legend has it that she maintained her native way of dressing and locals emulated her style of a short embroidered blouse, full length skirt, and shawl.

That said, the case can be made that Disney's Mexican themed doll pays tribute to the history of Mexico and as such, the doll is not offensive at all. Despite the fact that a small portion of the population (if any) still wears the Puebla dress, at one point in time it was mainstream. What's more, the overall goal of the musical ride and the dolls is to create global unity while cherishing different cultures of the world, which we can all agree is a well-meaning endeavor.

With the 50 year anniversary of the ride coming up on Apr. 10, rumor has it that Disney will be releasing the Mexican themed doll available in the U.S. for the occasion. The Disney store will also be allowing consumers to build their own doll, promising to donate $1 to UNICEF for every doll created, up to USD $100,000.

"It’s A Small World has inspired hundreds of millions of people through its timeless theme," says Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, reports the Daily Mail. "The 50th anniversary of this attraction represents a celebration of the shared optimism, hope and humanity of people throughout the world."

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