China's Stress-Relief Doll 'Natasha' Controversy Spreads Overseas, Accused of Racism

(Central News Agency, Taipei, June 3) The controversy surrounding a recently viral stress-relief doll named 'Natasha' in China has escalated. After the doll became a tool for violent发泄 on social media, Chinese authorities stepped in to regulate it, but the controversy has now spread overseas. The doll, which resembles a Black baby, has sparked outrage among the Black community, who are collectively condemning the abusive behavior of Chinese netizens as racist.

Recently, a stress-relief toy named 'Natasha' became wildly popular in China. This squeezable toy is shaped like a Black baby. However, in short videos circulating on multiple Chinese social media platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu (RED), Natasha has been reduced to a tool for violent发泄.

The videos show a large number of users posting videos and images of abusing the doll, including minors. They stretch and deform the doll, throw it on the ground, and stomp on it. Some cut it up or fill it with water until it bursts. Vendors have even capitalized on this trend with promotional slogans like 'durable and resistant to abuse' and 'rather than raising a child, squeeze a doll,' fueling the violence.

After Chinese media outlet The Beijing News reported on the issue in mid-May, calling out some vendors for using advertising images that 'border on' promoting violence, Chinese state media criticized the chaos, and local governments in various places began to regulate and crack down on it.

On June 1, the China Consumers' Association emphasized that some vendors, when promoting Natasha, deliberately posed the doll in sexually suggestive positions, paired it with ambiguous captions and adult-oriented props, or treated the stress-relief toy violently. It stated that such actions violate the core socialist values and the principle of public order and good customs in civil law, and are also suspected of violating laws and regulations such as the Cybersecurity Law and the Advertising Law. The association called on platform operators to take measures such as delisting and banning content that violates public order and good customs, including violence and pornography.

However, Chinese online vendors subsequently adjusted their promotional materials and continued to sell the doll, whose purpose has been perverted, and the controversy quickly spread overseas.

Today, Chinese dissident influencer 'Teacher Li is not your teacher' posted on platform X, pointing out that the Natasha doll has also sparked a racism controversy on foreign networks. Some overseas Black bloggers and netizens believe that this type of content is not just a simple toy prank but involves creating a body resembling a Black baby as an object for attack, humiliation, and entertainment consumption, which is a clear symbol of anti-Black racism.

A search on platforms X, Facebook, and Instagram reveals numerous videos posted by Black communities, harshly criticizing the perverse behavior of Chinese netizens abusing Natasha as blatant racism.

One Black community posted on Facebook, emphasizing that this is not harmless fun but dehumanizing. It turns a doll resembling a Black child into a public punching bag, normalizing violence and anti-Black stereotypes. Many see it as a manifestation of broader anti-Black sentiment within Chinese society and cyberspace.

As the Natasha controversy spread overseas and was labeled as racism, a wave of self-reflection emerged within Chinese social media today. Many people reposted videos from the Black community, denouncing the behavior as damaging China's image. One netizen posted on Weibo, pointing out that this act touches upon the historical trauma of people of African descent who have long been dehumanized. Others emphasized that this behavior is even worse than discrimination against yellow skin by white people. (Editor: Yang Shengru / Zhang Zhixuan) 1150603