“We’re not making the dolls anymore,” a Mattel spokesman told the New York Post, saying the decision stemmed partly from concerns from environmentalists like the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which has been campaigning against the dolls since at least 2012.
According to the Mattel site, the Barbie wearing a purple-and-pink sparkly wetsuit that came with a baby Shamu was first released in 2009.
SeaWorld has faced increasing criticism since the release of the documentary Blackfish, chronicling alleged mistreatment of orca whales by the park as well as accusing it of violating Occupational Safe and Health Administration laws.
Blackfish‘s narrative focused on the death of SeaWorld Orlando trainer Dawn Brancheau, who was killed in front of park visitors when an orca named Tilikum pulled her into the water and kept her under it during a performance. The documentary created quite a public relations headache for the marine park, landing it in Consumerist’s Worst Company In America contest for the first time in 2014.
Since then, SeaWorld took its trainers out of the water after dropping its appeal of those OSHA violations, and pledged to double the size of the orca environment and spend $10 million on marine research.
Consumerist reached out to Mattel for comment and we’ll let you know when we hear back.
‘SeaWorld’ Barbie sleeps with the fishes [New York Post]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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