Thaindian News

London, Jan 22 (IANS) Toy shops in Iran are being closed down for selling Barbie dolls, as the leggy plastic toys have been deemed immoral for their revealing outfits, The Sun reported.

Barbie dolls are sold wearing swimsuits, miniskirts and hotpants. But, in Iran, women must wear headscarves in public and men and women are forbidden from swimming together.

A ban on the sale of the toys was imposed in the mid-1990s, but the glamorous 11.5 inch dolls slowly made their way back into toy stores.

The Iranian judiciary has warned against the “destructive” cultural and social consequences and “danger” of importing Barbie dolls and other Western toys.

Barbie was created in 1959 by American toy company Mattel Inc., and it is estimated that more than a billion dolls have been sold in 150 countries.

Authorities began confiscating the dolls from stores in 2002, the year Iran introduced its own dolls designed to promote traditional values with modest clothing - Dara and Sara.