TOYS

Prices of Mattel Inc toys like Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars have gone up as the company tries to compensate for increasing costs for materials like resin and rising wages in China.

The Iranian morality police are cracking down on a decades-old Barbie doll ban, claiming the classic American toy is threatening Islamic values.

A new campaign promoting the creation of a Bald and Beautiful Barbie has taken Mattel by storm. Fans of the Barbie meant for coping cancer patients or children of cancer patients are using a Facebook page to promote the idea, arguing that being bald can be beautiful and should be endorsed by Mattel. We take a look at seven other controversial Barbies that Mattel has produced in the past.

A top 5 of what has been showcased so far.

Some mother's give their young daughters Barbies for Christmas as presents. Sarah Burge, a woman known as the Human Barbie, didn't just give her daughter a Barbie doll, she gave her a liposuction voucher to help make her 7-year-old daughter, Poppy, into a Barbie.

Build-A-Bear, a toy retailer that sells custom-made stuffed animals, has issued a recall for approximately 300,000 of its teddy bears that could be a choking hazard to children. The store is now offering a coupon for a free bear in exchange for those recalled.

Build-A-Bear Workshop has issued a recall on 300,000 of its Colorful Hearts Teddy Bears sold in the U.S. and Canada after the Consumer Product Safety Commission deemed the product a choking hazard.

Toymaker Hasbro, who owns the Transformers toy line, is suing ASUS over the name of their new Android tablet called the Transformer Prime.

Toys R Us and Macy's will keep many of their stores open 24/7 in the days leading up to Christmas Eve, giving last minute shoppers a last-second savior for their tardiness.

For procrastinators, last-minute holiday shopping can be a pain, but Toys R Us is on your side. The toy giant has extended its store hours before Christmas so that shoppers can grab deals on toys with stores open 24-7 until late Christmas Eve.

Retailers are coming up with ways to make the gift card - that staple of holiday giving - more exciting to receive, from including a set of Lego blocks to putting images of popular paintings on the plastic cards.

It's that time of the year again when the pressure of playing Santa proves challenging for most parents. Your kid wants a very special toy, without which the world seems to fall apart.

The Healthy Food Incentive Ordinance approved last year by the city's Board of Supervisors aims at fighting child obesity. The initiatives were introduced to reduce the allure of fast food restaurants and promote healthier food options for children.

Several top retailers such as Amazon.com, Best Buy, Target, and Wal-Mart are gearing up for Cyber Monday with deals and discounts. Toys R Us plans an extension of Cyber Monday -- Cyber Week -- to boost sales, with free shipping as one draw.

A cursing baby doll? Parents say that one of the You & Me triplets has a serious potty mouth.

Toys R Us plans to be the forerunner for Black Friday this year, as the toy retailer has announced it will open its doors at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving evening ahead of all other competitors.

Nothing is more exciting than to kick-start a holiday season by being the first customer at an acclaimed toy store. This is what ToysRUs is offering to its customers by throwing open its doors at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving night.

Skylanders uses physical toys to control virtual characters in what Activision hopes will be this holiday seasons must-have product.

Hasbro Inc's quarterly results fell short of analysts' expectations, hurt by a dip in sales in its home market just as the second-largest U.S. toy company gears up for the all important holiday shopping season.

Toy maker Hasbro Inc's quarterly results fell short of analysts' expectations as a dip in sales in the company's home market offset strong international growth.

Mattel Inc , the world's largest toy company, reported a bigger-than-expected fall in gross margins, hurt by a stronger dollar and higher costs, taking the gloss off a record jump in sales of its iconic Barbie dolls heading into the critical holiday season.