Chinese toy factory owner jailed for selling 'obscene' undressable dolls
What's the story
Xu, a plastic factory owner in southern China's Guangdong province, has been jailed for four years and nine months for making and selling animation character models considered "obscene items."
It is the first time animation models have been categorized as obscene items in a criminal case.
Another operator, Meng, was also handed four years and three months in prison.
Each received a fine of 100,000 yuan ($14,000).
Legal action
Allegations against Xu and his employees
Xu has been charged with making and selling "indecent" dolls, along with 12 employees involved in the operation.
The dolls were sold on Taobao, an online shopping site owned by the Alibaba Group.
The particular doll that got Xu in legal trouble was of a character named Lancer from Fate/Grand Order, a popular Japanese mobile game.
It shows the female character kneeling, dressed in "removable lingerie," and with wings on her back.
Online sales
Dolls sold on Taobao
The breasts and joints were shaded and smoothed, while gender traits were minimized, with the nipples removed and the sensitive area reduced to a single line.
Since 2022, more than 20,000 of the models have been sold online, generating more than two million yuan (US$276,000) in revenue, the South China Morning Post reported.
During an investigation, authorities seized over 30,000 models from Xu's warehouse, all of which were considered obscene.
Dolls
2 underage buyers also identified
Of the buyers, two were underage. One of them covered the model's genitals while the other hid it under their bed.
The Public Security Administration Punishments Law makes it illegal to produce, transport, duplicate, sell, or lend pornographic items like books, magazines, images, films, and audio-video products.
However, the court classified the figurines as obscene materials since the minors thought the objects were sexually suggestive and were too embarrassed to display them, which the court said demonstrated their obscene nature.