(Newser)
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Maybe the Supreme Leader doesn't giggle at lines like "Homer no function beer well without" and "I felt a surge of power … like God must feel when he’s holding a gun." But whatever the reason, Iranian officials have placed the Homer Simpson doll alongside Barbie on the nation's no-buy list, the AP reports. "We do not want to promote this cartoon by importing the toys," says an official at the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults.
Iran has tried to fend off Western cultural influence since the 1979 Islamic revolution, and apparently defined its toy ban with that in mind: no distinguishable genitals, no adult toys, no toys that belt out tunes in the voices of Western singers, and no kitchen sets with glasses for drinking booze. Spider-Man and Superman, however, are OK: "They help oppressed people and they have a positive stance," the official says.
