Mattel offends with Mexico Barbie, absence of African-American Barbie party supplies

The makers of Barbie are fielding tough questions this week after twice offending consumers for its cultural representations — or lack thereof.

Mattel recently released Mexico Barbie, a doll that carries a Chihuahua and a passport. The company's failure to avoid even the most obvious oversimplifications of Mexican culture offended members of the Latino community, according to Good Morning America.

A Chihuahua, really?

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Mattel has also earned exasperated sighs from the public after a woman from Harlem, Karen Braithwaite, was unable to find party supplies featuring black Barbie dolls for her daughter's birthday, according to Time. She asked the company to make some and later told media that Mattel refused.

The company, for its part, said it did not refuse, according to the New York Observer. A spokesperson told the news outlet Mattel was researching a new line of party products.

Mattel's Twitter feed has been operating like a politically-correct parrot since the controversies erupted, tweeting the same stock two-part reply to nearly everyone who criticized the company for its handling of the party products issue.

For its Mexican Barbie critics, Mattel has chosen to emphasize that all of its international Barbies have similar features.

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Well excuse us, Mattel, we didn't realize you were stereotyping every country equally. That makes it okay, especially since your Canadian Barbie really has us pegged with her Mountie uniform.

That never gets old.