Costco’s Lil Monkey doll: When hiring no black people goes wrong

in Politics by griffn — August 18, 2009 at 9:30 am | 0 comments

Costco has pulled a controversial doll from its shelves after customers complained it was racist. The [African-American] doll is called ‘Cuddle with Me” manufactured by BrassKey Keepsakes. It’s the headband that is causing the controversy. It reads “Lil’ Monkey.” The doll is also surrounded by stuffed monkeys. The white doll counterpart on store shelves is surrounded by pandas, with a hat that reads ‘Pretty Panda.’

Mary Gustoff, CEO of Brasskey Keepsakes, said the company has apologized for the mistake, and never intended it to be racist. “It’s so unfortunate because now it’s portrayed as a purposeful act to be disrespectful and that’s not true. We really apologize. We don’t think in that way. We don’t operate in that kind of thinking. We have a really diverse, family operated company that’s been around for 28 years. What would we have to gain for heaven’s sake?”

Okay, first of all, take a look at this doll please. Because if you just read the article, you might get the impression that the offensiveness is subtle. It’s not:

Here’s the thing. I have no doubt that Brasskey Keepsakes had no intention of offending anyone or making any kind of statement about race. I say this because the doll’s offensiveness is so blatant that the only possible way it could have made it to the shelves is if: A) It was truly a mistake of obliviousness, or B) The company in question is suicidal.

But the fact that this doll even made it off the drawing board, let alone got designed, produced, and shipped out to retailers– and then approved and placed on store shelves by Costco– shows that either there are no black people employed at these two companies or the ones who are have no decision-making input whatsoever. Really, it doesn’t even take a black person to see that this doll would be offensive, just a person with a marginal understanding of black history and culture. Or functional eyeballs.

The issue in this case is a company– two companies– with a big racial blind spot. Which is typically what happens when businesses fail to place a priority on diversity. I don’t know anything about the hiring practices of Brasskey Keepsakes or Costco; I don’t know what percentage of their employees are minorities or what percentage of those minorities are in decision-making roles. But I do know that when a product like this manages to slip through, it means you’ve got some pretty big cracks in your organization. And you deserve to get embarrassed by them.

Tags: Brasskey Keepsakes Costco diversity dolls hiring racism