Well, most likely the cartoonist has licensed the doll-maker to use the likeness. Rendering into two dimensions, an object, originally expressed in three, doesn't exempt me. (Nor in fact, as park-bench-puppy-sculptor, Jeff Koons, who sculpted from a greeting card, discovered, does rendering a two dimensional object into three -- even though the majority of the angles from which one can view the sculpture reveal no physical resemblance to the original two-D work.)

If I were to zoom-in on a strand of cotton DNA used in the doll's overalls, or to zoom out so that the doll's image now occupies only three pixels worth of light in my photo, then in either case, I'm probably okay. Otherwise... trouble.


See here for the account of an apparent attempt by Mattel to prevent the distortion of images of Barbie.