Woman picks up a Barbie Doll at CVS, then notices a small detail in the background that disturbs her: ‘Her coach will be heil-y disappointed’
There has to be an explanation
A woman’s TikTok video about her trip to a CVS outlet has caught people’s attention online. In the short clip, Ana Elizabeth (@anaelizabethdarlin), while picking up a Barbie doll, notes that it’s newly introduced. “I was like, oh, Barbie came out with a new Barbie. It’s like, oh, you could be anything,” Elizabeth said while realizing that the doll was gymnastics-themed.
However, when she zoomed in on the background, she saw several purple, figure-like people standing in a way that wouldn’t be Jewish-approved. Regardless of intent, they appeared to be raising their hands in a way that mimicked the Nazi salute.
Elizabeth highlighted this by including the wartime anthem ‘Weit ist der Weg zurück ins Heimatland’ near the end of her video and adding a caption that subtly addressed the issue. She wrote, “She better win the Olympics, cause her coach will be heil-y disappointed.”
“It really is that deep”
Elizabeth’s video drew strong reactions from the public. Some people agreed with what she was trying to convey, while others missed the point. One person, while calling Mattel (the company that makes Barbie dolls) out, said, “And it really is that deep because there’s entire teams at Mattel to prevent things like this from happening.” Another wrote, “No because literally what else could that be? That’s crazy.”
One individual observed, “If they were cheering they would have both arms up. WHAT IN THE LITERAL HELL.” One individual who did not understand what was being depicted in the video said, “Can someone explain.” To this one person responded saying, “It looks like they are doing THE salute.”
A few people made light of the situation and joked about it. One person noted, “Oh a collectable!!” Another remarked, “Special edition to commemorate the 1936 summer Olympics.”
A few individuals tagged Mattel in the comments, asking for accountability, while one person called for a boycott. They commented, “ooop….. so we’re…boycotting mattel atp.”
Elizabeth uploaded her video back in September, and since then, it appears Mattel hasn’t addressed the issue, and discussions about the video haven’t reached other social media platforms.
That being said, this isn’t the first time Mattel has found itself in hot water over its dolls. In 2025, the Barbie manufacturer was at the center of social media scrutiny after a user reported that they couldn’t find any Black Barbie dolls without disabilities at a Walmart outlet. While the issue was likely a stocking problem, it did raise some questions about Mattel and Walmart.
Marvel’s use of AI in its productions has already sparked backlash over its potential to compromise creative oversight and quality control. With no confirmed evidence that AI created the artwork on this Barbie packaging, the incident raises similar concerns about how brands are reviewing their products before they reach consumers. If imagery resembling a Nazi salute made it through multiple rounds of production and approval, it points to a serious failure in quality control—one that could be exacerbated by relying on automated tools without sufficient human oversight.
However, not every story about Barbies and those who make them is negative. Notably, in August, a woman shared how happy she felt after realizing her grandmother had preserved every Barbie doll she had owned over the years.
Elizabeth’s video has sparked an important discussion on the responsibility of brands to produce items responsibly and avoid unintentionally problematic imagery.
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