A documentary has revealed that workers at a Mattel factory in China are working in unsafe and underpaid conditions.
Channel 4 Dispatches filmed undercover in one of Barbie-maker Mattel's factories, exposing the shocking daily reality for workers producing the famous dolls.
The undercover filming revealed unsafe working conditions with a reporter posing as a migrant worker told to remove hot moulded pieces of plastic out of machines.
She was given just one left-handed safety glove even though she is right-handed.
Dispatches journalist Isobel Yeung told The Pat Kenny Show it is a very different picture from the one Mattel wants the public to see.
"Barbie was a massive movie last year, it really went into the spotlight," she said.
"We really wanted to investigate the brand behind Barbie - Mattel - which is one of the biggest toy companies in the world.
"[Mattel] benefits from this image of female empowerment, that women can do anything.
"But what we found in our undercover investigation in this factory in southern China - that is owned and run by Mattel - was evidence to suggest that workers are paid 2p per day, that their safety isn't necessarily prioritised and they're expected to handle a lot of hot plastic."
Is Mattel, the company behind Barbie, actually feminist?
Undercover filming at one of their factories in China reveals unsafe working conditions. pic.twitter.com/EfDsOXQwG2— Channel 4 Dispatches (@C4Dispatches) October 11, 2024
Ms Yeung said workers "had to do far more overtime than is legal" and that they could lose their jobs if they don't meet increased demand.
She said the dolls are still put together by hand.
"It just goes to show that labour is still cheap - or they can get away with it being very cheap in China - which is one of the reasons that they have that factory there," she said.
"It is very cheap; it's cheaper than having a machine do it.
"It's also very fiddly work getting Barbie legs and arms out of plastic moulding machines and putting different parts onto different parts of the Barbie.
"Actually they often hire women to do it because they say that they have smaller hands and so it's easier for them to actually manipulate those dolls."
Recalls
The investigation also looked into another Mattel brand, Fisher Price, which has recently been at the centre of two mass recalls.
In January last year it recalled 4.7 million Rock ‘n Play Sleepers in the US.
Rock ‘n Play Sleeper. Image: CPSCThe US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said the deaths happened after infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained.
Ms Yeung said "around 100 infant" deaths can be linked to the Rock ‘n Play.
Last week the company also recalled more than two million Snuga Infant Swings in the US, Canada and Mexico due to a suffocation hazard after five deaths were reported.
Snuga Infant Swing. Image: CPSCThe Snuga Infant Swing recall includes the following models sold in the US, Canada and Mexico:
- BGB32 My Little Snugakitty™ Cradle 'n Swing
- CCF38 My Little Snugabunny™ Swing
- CHM56 My Little Snugabear Cradle 'n Swing
- CHM69 My Little Snugabear Ballerina Cradle 'n Swing
- CHM76 Safari Dreams Cradle 'n Swing
- CHM78 Moonlight Meadow Swing
- DRG43 Sweet Snugapuppy™ Swing
- FKL21 Deluxe Swing- Surreal Serenity™
- GJB53 Sweet Snugamonkey Swing
- GKH44 Blooming Flowers Swing
- GNG38 Fawn Meadows Deluxe Swing
- GNG40 Peek-a-boo Fox Swing
- GVF83 Dots & Spots Puppy Swing
- HBM23 Snow Leopard Swing
- HDY10 Hearthstone Swing
- HGX49 Baby Raccoon Swing
- V0099 My Little Snugabunny Cradle ‘n Swing
- W9510 My Little Sweetie™ Deluxe Cradle ‘n Swing
- X7051 My Little SnugaMonkey™ Cradle ‘n Swing
- X7345 My Little Snugapuppy™ Cradle 'n Swing
- X7347 My Little Snugabear Cradle 'n Swing
- Any replacement seat pad for the above Product Numbers/SKUs
Ms Yeung said the Royal College of Midwives in the UK had warned Mattel that the Rock ‘n Play Sleeper was not safe.
"Mattel had seen that the Royal College of Midwives had warned that this product was not safe and that is why it didn't make it into the UK market," she said.
"Other countries had also warned that this product was not safe but still Mattel went ahead and was selling this product in the US which led to, potentially, several other deaths".
'Not an admission of guilt'
Ms Yeung said the company is not admitting to any wrongdoing.
"They're not taking responsibility - they're saying that if these products are used in accordance with their instructions and that nothing else is put in the product and that the baby is watched at all times, supervised and not allowed to sleep, then their products are safe," she said.
"There is not an admission of guilt, but there is a causal link I would say".
Ms Yeung said the workers are suffering.
"The issue is they present themselves as one brand and Barbie is very much this pink shiny facade," she said.
"What is actually happening is women and men working in this factory are struggling to get by.
"They're having to work extreme hours, they're feeling exhaustion, they're physically suffering, often with burned hands, and struggling to even get by and to meet their quotas."
She added that the situation is "very contradictory" to the image Mattel presents.
Listen back here:
