MyGender Dolls: 'It's Basically A Transgender Mr. Potato Head, If Mr. Potato Head Was a Pervert'

SMG News Wire : Aug 4, 2026
ToddStarnes.com

"This is absolutely grooming. The younger kids—many of them still believe in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy... It's well beyond their ability to sort out fantasy from reality. ... profoundly inappropriate." -Dr. Quentin Van Meter, former president of the American College of Pediatricians, to the New York Post

BCN EDITOR'S NOTE: Very telling that on X the images of the "MyGenderDolls" are blocked, labeling it as "Adult Content," (see image). And they are designed for kids beginning with preschool age?! Beyond ludicrous, it's disgusting. How are these so-called educators in a position to do ANYTHING with children?! They are predators! -Aimee Herd, Breaking Christian News

[ToddStarnes.com] A new line of educational dolls developed at the University of Minnesota is drawing sharp criticism from parents' groups and medical professionals who say the toys introduce complex gender ideology to children who are too young to understand it. (Screengrab image: via X-Franklin Graham)

The products, known as MyGenderDolls, are designed for children ages 4 to 10 and feature interchangeable hairstyles, clothing and removable genitalia. According to the company's website, the dolls are intended for use by clinicians and educators working with gender-diverse children. The dolls are expected to launch this fall.

"It's basically a transgender Mr. Potato Head," said national radio host Todd Starnes. "But this Mr. Potato Head is a creepy pervert."

The dolls originated through a University of Minnesota research project that received support from the school's Early Innovation Fund before being spun off into a private company.

Supporters say the dolls are designed to help children discuss gender identity through therapeutic play.

"They come with interchangeable accessories and removable and swappable genitalia to help children 'realize all the different options that exist for who they can be—regardless of their body parts,'" University of Minnesota postdoctoral fellow Ben Parchem said in a now-deleted university publication.

Co-creator Dianne Berg defended the project in the same publication.

"It's really important to address the belief, 'I'm not a "real" boy because I don't have these private parts,' versus, 'I am a real boy, whatever my anatomy looks like,'" Berg said. "It's about helping children develop tools to cope with messages in society that could lead to shame."

But critics say the dolls are inappropriate for preschool-aged children and accuse educators of pushing gender ideology into classrooms.

"This is absolutely grooming," Dr. Quentin Van Meter, former president of the American College of Pediatricians, told the New York Post. "The younger kids—many of them still believe in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy... It's well beyond their ability to sort out fantasy from reality." Van Meter added that the dolls are "profoundly inappropriate."

Kimberly Fletcher, president of Moms for America, also blasted the program, arguing that exposing four-year-olds to dolls with removable genitalia is inappropriate and questioning why taxpayers are funding the initiative. Fletcher said parents—not government-funded institutions—should guide conversations about sex and gender with their children.

The controversy has also drawn renewed scrutiny to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, whose administration has championed transgender policies. Fox News reported that Walz received the University of Minnesota's Distinguished Sexual and Gender Health Champion Award in 2023, and one of the creators of MyGenderDolls participated in presenting the honor.

"This is so sick and warped," said renowned evangelist Franklin Graham. "This is the wicked agenda of woke Democrat socialists, targeting your children." Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here