Stores Shun Eminem Doll

By Stephen M. Silverman

04/22/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Woolworth's, the once-great but now-defunct American store chain that still exists in Britain, announced in London on Monday that it would refuse to carry a tattooed and chainsaw-carrying figurine of the American rapper Eminem because the doll would not be consistent with the chain's family image. "We were offered the Eminem doll but decided not to stock it," Woolworth's spokeswoman Nicole Lander told Reuters. "The visual impact didn't fit with our family environment and having it around a Barbie doll, for example, didn't feel right." Britain's venerable and most famous toy retailer, Hamleys, also announced that it would not stock the doll, which is expected to sell for about $14 when it comes to market this summer. Woolworth's said it would continue selling Eminem's Grammy Award-winning albums, however, because they are aimed at older buyers and are not visually controversial.