Simpsons Join Barbie on Iran Banned Toy List

The Iranian Islamic Republic has added dolls of The Simpsons to its banned toy list.

The independent Shargh daily newspaper said the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, a government-affiliated agency, took the decision to prevent Western culture gaining more influence in Iran.

The report did not explain why the Simpsons dolls had been blacklisted, but Mohammad Hossein Farjoo, who works for the institute, said that any dolls on which genitals are distinguishable, as well as dolls of adults, are now banned.

In January, shopkeepers were asked to remove Barbie dolls from their shelves. Police raided dozens of shops that sold the dolls.

While dolls such as Barbie, made by US Company Mattel, were declared un-Islamic in 1966, the regime has renewed its clampdown on Western toys in its fight against their "destructive cultural and social consequences".