Iran Bans Simpsons Toys

But Superman and Spider-Man are fine because they fight for the 'oppressed'.

Iran, a country that knows a thing or two about bans, has prohibited all toys based on The Simpsons from entering the country because of the show's Western values. The policy chief for Iran's Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults told a local newspaper that the country doesn't want to promote the show, although he didn't elaborate much further. We suspect it might have something to do with this, even if that's from more than 15 years ago. (Coincidentally, that was around the last time The Simpsons was worth watching each and every Sunday night. Suddenly, we feel very, very old.) The Simpsons joins Barbie dolls and any toys that have genitals on the list of products deemed unworthy of the great nation of Iran, but that's not the case for the uber-American franchises of Superman and Spider-Man. The institute says that because "they help oppressed people and they have a positive stance," they're more than welcome. There's no word yet on Batman, although seeing as how that series' authors once made The Joker the UN representative for Iran before trying to kill the general assembly, we imagine the caped crusader will join Milhouse and Barbie on the sidelines.