Personalized and Real Dolls
Is Monsanto getting into the doll business? With the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in 1996, gene splicing and dicing has been touted as the way to create bigger, stronger and larger yields of food crops. So why take genetic engineering into the toy industry? For the children, of course. Using their proprietary technology, Monsanto plans to manufacture dolls that contain DNA from each owner child, creating the first personalized and real (PR) doll. Now Suzie and Bobby can have the experience of playing with a living doll, one that they inherently helped create. Through a simple cheek swab, each child’s DNA is carefully collected and then sent to Monsanto’s doll manufacturing facility. Using a combination of patented technology and an injection molding process, the DNA will be inserted into a selected doll and set aside for the germination period. Each child can trace its unique doll’s progress online, monitoring development from start to finish. Incubation and growth times may vary for each doll, but Monsanto estimates an average turn-around time of 2 weeks per doll. Pending FDA approval of the PR doll, program rollout could commence as early as November 2012.
