The Barbie book, titled I Can Be a Computer Engineer, came under fire for sending a negative message to young readers.
In the publication, Barbie wants to design her own computer game but can only do so with the help of her friends Steven and Brian.
She also struggles to work her laptop and to restart it when it is hit by a virus, again asking the boys for help.
Although the book has been on sale since 2010, it has made headlines this week after being featured on a number of consumer advocacy websites.
Yesterday a message was posted by Mattel on the official Barbie Facebook page, apologising for any offence taken by parents or readers. "The Barbie I Can Be A Computer Engineer book was published in 2010. Since that time we have reworked our Barbie books," reads the statement.
"We believe girls should be empowered to understand that anything is possible and believe they live in a world without limits. We apologise that this book didn’t reflect that belief."
The statement goes on to say that future Barbie titles "will be written to inspire girl's imaginations and portray an empowered Barbie character."
What do you think of the controversy?
