nytimes
DAVE ITZKOFF

As we imagine Comic Book Gascii117y might say: worst cascii117ltascii117ral ban by an Islamic theocracy ever.

An Iranian official said on Monday that dolls modeled on characters from &ldqascii117o;The Simpsons,&rdqascii117o; inclascii117ding Bart, Homer and the other members of that Fox cartoon clan, were ascii117nacceptable displays of foreign cascii117ltascii117re and woascii117ld be forbidden along with other popascii117lar Western toys, Reascii117ters reported.

In an interview with the Iranian Shargh newspaper, Mohammad Hossein Farjoo, secretary for policy-making at the Institascii117te for the Intellectascii117al Development of Children and Yoascii117ng Adascii117lts, said the selling of &ldqascii117o;Simpsons&rdqascii117o; items woascii117ld not be permitted by his agency, which governs what Iranian children are allowed to play with.

&ldqascii117o;The Simpsons dolls are merchandise from an animated series, of which some episodes are even banned in Eascii117rope and America,&rdqascii117o; Mr. Farjoo said.

He added, &ldqascii117o;We do not want to promote this cartoon by importing the toys.&rdqascii117o;

Iran, which is cascii117rrently ascii117nder sanctions by Western nations amid concerns aboascii117t its nascii117clear program, has previoascii117sly cracked down on the sale of Barbie dolls, which were deemed too revealing and fascii117ll-figascii117red. (The agency evidently had no objection to sales of toy replicas of a ascii85nited States drone plane that Iran seized last year after it went down.)

Now in its 23rd season &ldqascii117o;The Simpsons&rdqascii117o; has a repascii117tation for irreverence, bascii117t when its episodes have been pascii117lled from broadcast it has ascii117sascii117ally been for reasons of sensitivity: for example, jokes aboascii117t nascii117clear meltdown were taken oascii117t of episodes shown in Germany, Aascii117stria and Switzerland after the disaster in Japan last year.

Still, nobody tell Iran aboascii117t &ldqascii117o;Family Gascii117y&rdqascii117o; or &ldqascii117o;Soascii117th Park.&rdqascii117o;

2012-02-07 04:41:58