Greenpeace activists shake up Mattel headquarters

They hung a giant banner of a Ken look-alike to protest Mattel's use of packaging that comes from Indonesian rain forests (that's the company's parking structure in El Segundo). "Barbie, it's over. I don't date girls that are into deforestation" was the message, which is part of a global effort by Greenpeace. From the LAT:

El Segundo police arrested eight protesters, including a woman dressed as Barbie in pink and blue Spandex, who was driving a bright pink bulldozer half a block from the scene. Fire trucks descended on the area, as it was cordoned off, and Mattel employees crowded around the windows, taking photos with cellphones.

[CUT]

On Tuesday, the company issued a statement saying, "Playing responsibly has long been an important part of Mattel's business practices. ... We have been in communication with Greenpeace on a variety of papersourcing issues. We are surprised and disappointed that they have taken this inflammatory approach. ... We will continue to assess our paper sourcing and packaging improvements as we move forward."

Actually, Greenpeace is aiming its sights not at Mattel, but at the Chinese company that supplies Mattel's packaging: Asia Pulp and Paper, which has leveled vast swaths of rain forest over the last two decades, according to the Times. This reminds me a little of the trouble Mattel ran into a couple of years ago involving lead paint in some of its toys. The paint originated with a Chinese subcontractor.