FACT CHECK | No, the „crippled young girl“ Barbie doll is not being sold in Ukraine. It’s a fake

A purported photo of a new Ukrainian Barbie doll wearing a military uniform, crutches, and a prosthetic leg is circulating on Facebook. Social media users are baffled, but in vain, because such a doll does not exist.„Toys for the children of democratic Ukraine. Crippled young girls are the „new normal,“ wrote Ülle Pukk, a member of the Koos party board, on Facebook on March 28, posting a picture of an alleged toy called „Oksana.“Faktikontroll has repeatedly debunked Pukk’s claims in the past. In addition to the Koos party, she is an active figure in Estonian conspiracy theorist communities and on the Eesti Eest! portal.In total, Pukk’s post has been shared at least 26 times, according to Facebook.Facts The image of the Barbie doll is a fake.This is the only image of the alleged „Oksana“ doll, which began circulating exclusively in Russian propaganda media and Telegram channels on March 25. If the doll were real, numerous other photos of it would have appeared.There are no reports in the Ukrainian media or social media about the alleged new „Oksana“ doll. Barbie manufacturer Mattel confirmed that they have not produced such a doll.The alleged photo shows several signs of forgery.The image of „Oksana“ began to circulate on 25 March on Russian propaganda media and Telegram channels. The headlines included, for example, „One-legged doll Oksana: Ukraine’s death cult and the cultivation of bitter and complex filth“; „Oksana on crutches: Ukrainian children’s stores sell legless Barbie dolls in Ukrainian armed forces uniforms“.If the alleged product had actually been sold in Ukraine, other posts about it would have appeared on social media and store websites. Faktikontroll found no reports in Ukrainian media or social media confirming the existence of such a doll. The image with this angle and background began to circulate exclusively in Russian publications.Barbie manufacturer Mattel’s website also does not list such a doll. Polish fact-checking publication Demagog contacted Mattel’s representative office directly and received an official response that Mattel has not produced such a doll.The only alleged photo of the „Oksana“ doll also shows several signs of forgery. Ukrainian fact-checking publication StopFake conducted an image analysis and found that the photo is not genuine because it lacks any metadata; there is an unnatural background added behind the doll; and the words on the warning sticker (which is not used in Ukraine) are not at the same angle as the sticker itself.In addition, the image’s error level analysis (ELA) shows that the doll and the text on the packaging are at different density levels compared to the rest of the image. This means that these areas have been added or altered.In addition, the red warning sign used in the image is not one of the generally accepted labels used to mark toys. It also does not meet the requirements set out in Ukraine. In addition, the packaging of „Oksana“ lacks other labels used by the Barbie brand.Verdict: False. The image of the „crippled“ Barbie doll is a fake. It is the only image of the alleged „Oksana“ doll that began circulating exclusively in Russian propaganda media and Telegram channels. Barbie manufacturer Mattel confirmed that it did not produce the doll. The image also shows several signs of forgery.