'Natasha dolls' cause global anger over alleged bias in viral toy videos
The term “Natasha dolls” has become the centre of a global controversy following the emergence of a disturbing social media trend involving silicone stress-relief toys.
The name, once loosely associated with children’s merchandise and the Netflix series Russian Doll, is now tied to widespread outrage over allegations of racial bias and online cruelty.
According to investigative reporting by OkayAfrica, the controversy centres on a line of novelty decompression toys shaped like stylised infants.
The dolls, marketed in a range of skin tones, went viral on Chinese social commerce platforms including Douyin and Xiaohongshu, where they became the focus of a troubling trend.
