10 Dark Conspiracy Theories Behind Children's Toys
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VOICE OVER: Phoebe de Jeu
WRITTEN BY: George Pacheco
These couldn't be true... could they? For this list, we'll be ranking the strangest or most infamous stories, theories, or urban legends behind some of our favorite toys. These old wives' tales could be based upon misinformation, assumption, or outright falsehoods, just so long as a large section of people bought into them at one point or another. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Conspiracy Theories Behind Children's Toys.
These couldn't be true... could they? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Conspiracy Theories Behind Children's Toys.
For this list, we'll be ranking the strangest or most infamous stories, theories, or urban legends behind some of our favorite toys. These old wives' tales could be based upon misinformation, assumption, or outright falsehoods, just so long as a large section of people bought into them at one point or another.
Cabbage Patch Kids were all the rage during the 1980s, a toy line that was an absolute "must-have" for parents seeking to make their kids' Christmas special. So, what could possibly be sinister about these cute, cuddly, and adoptable boys and girls? Well, the enduring rumor was that the dolls' exaggerated facial designs were intended to mimic the effects of fallout after a nuclear war. Given that this topic was a persistent one for families throughout the decade, it's sort of makes sense, but in reality, the Cabbage Patch creator Xavier Roberts had no such intention when he created the dolls in the late seventies.
It always pays to check and double-check any questionable source on the internet. Case in point? This 2014 article from Clickhole that was intended as satire, yet still was seen as fact by people around the world. The article claimed that Beanie Babies were actually filled with eggs from the brown recluse spider, eggs that were due to hatch twenty years after the toys first found fame in the 1990s. This is NOT true, since first: spider eggs don't take twenty years to hatch, and second: of course it's not true. If you love Beanie Babies, however, get ready for the cute, pellet-filled toys to make another appearance on our list a bit later.
It's not out of the ordinary for talking toys to sound a bit... well, "off" once their batteries start to wind down. In the case of our next entry, however, it's more of a "he said, Minion said" sort of deal. Tiny replica Minions dolls from the "Despicable Me" franchise were being given away as a promotional toy with McDonald's line of Happy Meals. These toys even chattered in that adorable language known as "Minionese." One parent wasn't exactly thrilled with the toys, however, claiming one dropped the queen-mother of dirty words in front of his child. To be fair, not everyone hears the same thing, with many claiming that they also hear the swear word, while others just chalk it up to incomprehensible gibberish.
Today, video games are big business and a staple within households around the world. There was a time in the 1970s and '80s, however, where the industry still possessed something of a seedy reputation, especially when it came to arcades. They were often seen as places that could serve as a front for illegal activities, so it makes sense that this was where the legend of Polybius was first introduced. It was around the year 2000 when the story of a black arcade cabinet started making the rounds, one that was used by the 1980s government to spy on and collect data from kids in dingy arcades. Some even swear to have seen Polybius in the flesh, although certified proof remains to be seen.
Okay, so Barbie has never been perfect when it comes to cultural sensitivity, but let's get one thing straight: Mattel NEVER named their doll's friend "Wheelchair Becky." Yes, it's true that the toy giant gave Barbie a friend named Becky, and she was in a wheelchair, but that's where the similarities between legend and fact end. The doll was actually named "Share-a-Smile Becky," and that was never changed from anything insensitive. The intention was actually to present Barbie's world as more diverse, with the Becky doll even coming packaged with an invitation for kids to join a youth organization titled "Winners on Wheels."
Call this next entry a case of unfortunate misidentification. The term "Zbtb7" refers to a gene that was discovered in 2005 by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, one that theoretically may serve as a "home base" of sorts, for cancer cells. The original acronym for the gene was "POK Erythroid Myeloid Ontogenic Factor," or P.O.K.E.M.O.N. That is, until the Pokèmon Company got wind of the discovery, and threatened to sue, should the name not be changed to something else. Still, the process from the first published news of the gene to its renaming took almost a year, resulting in quite a bit of back and forth confusion until the whole thing was sorted out.
Collecting and reselling antiques can be a fun way to make a little extra money. A lot of people sell second-hand clothes, vinyl records, or even VHS tapes for cold, hard cash with some rare pieces selling for quite a bit of money. Unfortunately, just because something is old, doesn't mean that it's worth anything, and this is definitely the case with that most nineties of collectibles: the Beanie Baby. Although it's true that certain, specialized Beanie Babies can be valuable - such as the Princess Diana variant filled with PVC pellets - the lion's share of the rest of actually worth less than they were back in the day. It's sad, but true.
There's just something innately comforting about a Raggedy Ann doll, especially for viewers of a certain age. Her sweet and innocent appeal is just sort of timeless, a nostalgic look back to a simpler time. However, does Raggedy Ann have a somewhat sinister origin story? Well... not really. The urban legend is that the doll's creator, Johnny Gruelle, designed the doll in response to his daughter's passing, as a result of a vaccination-related illness. This is partially true, in that the latter did happen, but Gruelle had already filed the patent for his Raggedy Ann doll prior to his daughter's demise.
Remember when we mentioned earlier how toys sound kind of creepy when their batteries die? Well, that definitely applies to this hit talking bear from the eighties, Teddy Ruxpin. The conspiracy theory behind this toy goes a little further, however, in that some actually believed that this Teddy could be possessed by the devil. It all sort of goes hand in with the "Satanic Panic” phenomenon from the decade, where many felt that ritual abuse of their children was lurking around every Dungeons & Dragons game or heavy metal tape. It's here where Teddy Ruxpin comes in, as the bear's cassette mechanism could read just about anything, not just the sweet little stories that were found in its packaging. Wait, did that one just blink?
If Teddy Ruxpin was possessed by Satan, then these toys have something even more sinister lurking behind their eyes. For years, stories have swirled surrounding the spying and security potential for toys such as the Elf on the Shelf, Hello Barbie, and, most infamously, the Furby. The National Security Agency once even labeled these cute, harmless toys as a potential security risk, based upon their ability to adapt and learn the English language over time. This, combined with Hello Barbie's potentially unsafe Wi-Fi connection and the Elf on the Shelf's NSA snitch reputation means that we may just never look at our toys the same way again.
For this list, we'll be ranking the strangest or most infamous stories, theories, or urban legends behind some of our favorite toys. These old wives' tales could be based upon misinformation, assumption, or outright falsehoods, just so long as a large section of people bought into them at one point or another.
#10: Nuclear Fallout in the Cabbage Patch
Cabbage Patch Kids were all the rage during the 1980s, a toy line that was an absolute "must-have" for parents seeking to make their kids' Christmas special. So, what could possibly be sinister about these cute, cuddly, and adoptable boys and girls? Well, the enduring rumor was that the dolls' exaggerated facial designs were intended to mimic the effects of fallout after a nuclear war. Given that this topic was a persistent one for families throughout the decade, it's sort of makes sense, but in reality, the Cabbage Patch creator Xavier Roberts had no such intention when he created the dolls in the late seventies.
#9: Spider Eggs Inside Beanie Babies
It always pays to check and double-check any questionable source on the internet. Case in point? This 2014 article from Clickhole that was intended as satire, yet still was seen as fact by people around the world. The article claimed that Beanie Babies were actually filled with eggs from the brown recluse spider, eggs that were due to hatch twenty years after the toys first found fame in the 1990s. This is NOT true, since first: spider eggs don't take twenty years to hatch, and second: of course it's not true. If you love Beanie Babies, however, get ready for the cute, pellet-filled toys to make another appearance on our list a bit later.
#8: Minions with Dirty Mouths
It's not out of the ordinary for talking toys to sound a bit... well, "off" once their batteries start to wind down. In the case of our next entry, however, it's more of a "he said, Minion said" sort of deal. Tiny replica Minions dolls from the "Despicable Me" franchise were being given away as a promotional toy with McDonald's line of Happy Meals. These toys even chattered in that adorable language known as "Minionese." One parent wasn't exactly thrilled with the toys, however, claiming one dropped the queen-mother of dirty words in front of his child. To be fair, not everyone hears the same thing, with many claiming that they also hear the swear word, while others just chalk it up to incomprehensible gibberish.
#7: Polybius
Today, video games are big business and a staple within households around the world. There was a time in the 1970s and '80s, however, where the industry still possessed something of a seedy reputation, especially when it came to arcades. They were often seen as places that could serve as a front for illegal activities, so it makes sense that this was where the legend of Polybius was first introduced. It was around the year 2000 when the story of a black arcade cabinet started making the rounds, one that was used by the 1980s government to spy on and collect data from kids in dingy arcades. Some even swear to have seen Polybius in the flesh, although certified proof remains to be seen.
#6: Wheelchair Becky
Okay, so Barbie has never been perfect when it comes to cultural sensitivity, but let's get one thing straight: Mattel NEVER named their doll's friend "Wheelchair Becky." Yes, it's true that the toy giant gave Barbie a friend named Becky, and she was in a wheelchair, but that's where the similarities between legend and fact end. The doll was actually named "Share-a-Smile Becky," and that was never changed from anything insensitive. The intention was actually to present Barbie's world as more diverse, with the Becky doll even coming packaged with an invitation for kids to join a youth organization titled "Winners on Wheels."
#5: Cancerous Pokémon
Call this next entry a case of unfortunate misidentification. The term "Zbtb7" refers to a gene that was discovered in 2005 by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, one that theoretically may serve as a "home base" of sorts, for cancer cells. The original acronym for the gene was "POK Erythroid Myeloid Ontogenic Factor," or P.O.K.E.M.O.N. That is, until the Pokèmon Company got wind of the discovery, and threatened to sue, should the name not be changed to something else. Still, the process from the first published news of the gene to its renaming took almost a year, resulting in quite a bit of back and forth confusion until the whole thing was sorted out.
#4: Pricy Beanie Babies
Collecting and reselling antiques can be a fun way to make a little extra money. A lot of people sell second-hand clothes, vinyl records, or even VHS tapes for cold, hard cash with some rare pieces selling for quite a bit of money. Unfortunately, just because something is old, doesn't mean that it's worth anything, and this is definitely the case with that most nineties of collectibles: the Beanie Baby. Although it's true that certain, specialized Beanie Babies can be valuable - such as the Princess Diana variant filled with PVC pellets - the lion's share of the rest of actually worth less than they were back in the day. It's sad, but true.
#3: Raggedy Ann's Sinister Origins
There's just something innately comforting about a Raggedy Ann doll, especially for viewers of a certain age. Her sweet and innocent appeal is just sort of timeless, a nostalgic look back to a simpler time. However, does Raggedy Ann have a somewhat sinister origin story? Well... not really. The urban legend is that the doll's creator, Johnny Gruelle, designed the doll in response to his daughter's passing, as a result of a vaccination-related illness. This is partially true, in that the latter did happen, but Gruelle had already filed the patent for his Raggedy Ann doll prior to his daughter's demise.
#2: Satanic Teddy
Remember when we mentioned earlier how toys sound kind of creepy when their batteries die? Well, that definitely applies to this hit talking bear from the eighties, Teddy Ruxpin. The conspiracy theory behind this toy goes a little further, however, in that some actually believed that this Teddy could be possessed by the devil. It all sort of goes hand in with the "Satanic Panic” phenomenon from the decade, where many felt that ritual abuse of their children was lurking around every Dungeons & Dragons game or heavy metal tape. It's here where Teddy Ruxpin comes in, as the bear's cassette mechanism could read just about anything, not just the sweet little stories that were found in its packaging. Wait, did that one just blink?
#1: Spy Furbies
If Teddy Ruxpin was possessed by Satan, then these toys have something even more sinister lurking behind their eyes. For years, stories have swirled surrounding the spying and security potential for toys such as the Elf on the Shelf, Hello Barbie, and, most infamously, the Furby. The National Security Agency once even labeled these cute, harmless toys as a potential security risk, based upon their ability to adapt and learn the English language over time. This, combined with Hello Barbie's potentially unsafe Wi-Fi connection and the Elf on the Shelf's NSA snitch reputation means that we may just never look at our toys the same way again.
