Trolls doll pulled after complaints it promotes child abuse

PAWTUCKET, R.I. – A Trolls doll is being pulled off store shelves amid complaints it promotes child abuse.

Toymaker Hasbro said Wednesday that it’s in the process of removing the “Trolls World Tour Giggle and Sing Poppy” from the market and will be offering customers a replacement doll of the popular female character.

The doll had been designed to giggle when placed in a sitting position, but some parents complain the sound activation button is inappropriately placed under the doll's skirt and between her legs.

An online petition suggests the doll is “conditioning our children to think pedophilia is OK.”

“This is not okay for a child’s toy! This toy needs to be removed from our stores,” the petition by Jessica McManis reads in part. “What will this toy make our innocent, impressionable children think? That it’s fun when someone touches your private area?”

The petition is addressed to major retailers including Target, Walmart and Amazon.

Hasbro spokeswoman Julie Duffy told The Providence Journal that the Rhode Island-based company recognizes the sensor’s placement “may be perceived as inappropriate.”

“This was not intentional and we are happy to provide consumers with a replacement Poppy doll of similar value through our consumer care team,” she told the newspaper. “We are in the process of removing the item for purchase.”

Posts on social media are being widely shared by disapproving parents.

Some Facebook and Twitter users have shared videos of the doll that show where the button is placed and the sounds the doll makes when it is pushed.

Many social media users who have posted videos also note that the doll’s packaging doesn’t indicate that there is such a button.

Hasbro is the maker of Transformers, G.I. Joe, Monopoly and other beloved children’s toys and games.