Poll: Parents want Breaking Bad toys pulled from TRU, thoughts?

[Bat Vader]

I can kinda see where they are coming from. I'm curious as to why they are toys in the first place. I think what TRU should do is create an adult's Only section like in a video rental store and put them there. That way they are off the shelves away from the kids and they are still being sold in the store readily available for the people who want to buy them.

 

[Batou667]

Strictly within the context of Toys R Us, I don't see why they shouldn't stock adult products. I just checked the Toys R Us webstore and they stock GTA5, Assassin's Creed and CoD, so the idea that TRU is a "safe space" where children have no chance of being exposed to stuff for adults is already disproven. I'm guessing in the bricks-and-mortar store there's a separate "adult" or "collectors" section for figurines and self-assembly kits, so I doubt the Breaking Bad figures are literally being sold next to He-Man and Moshi Monsters.

In general though, I've always felt a little leery about the way adult franchises are marketed towards kids. When I was a kid, plenty of toystores and catalogues had action figures and play sets based on franchises like Batman, Robocop, Terminator, Nightmare on Elm Street, Chucky, Aliens and Predator. To be clear, this was long before the Batman animated series and the PG-12 versions of Robocop, Terminator and AvP - these were teen or adult franchises being squarely aimed at pre-teens. And that boggles my mind. When little Timmy wants to watch the movie his cool Robocop figure and car are based on, what are we supposed to tell him? "Sorry kid, you can't watch that movie because it depicts a guy falling into a vat of acid, partially melting, and being run over. Carry on having fun with your toys though!"

 

[CymbaIine]

Baffling.

I don't have a problem with TRU selling them. My kids are a bit old for action figures now but if (a couple of years ago) I took them for a treat and they picked one because they liked how they looked (they wouldn't know what BB was) then I would have no problem buying them (depending on price). Why would I care?

 

[FPLOON]

I want to buy the Breaking Bad My first Meth Lab.

You know, for kids

You mean the set where you can make edible blue crystal-looking candy? Unless Vince himself approved of it, I'm surprise that shit's still on the market... "for kids"...

OT: I'm still indifferent to what TRU sells in their stores nowadays... I mean, not that long ago, I went to a TRU with my cousins and I do remember seeing those kind of toys based on adult shows/movies being on display front and center in one of the aisles... The best part about that experience was seeing this one girl, no more than 6 or 7 I'm guessing, going through some of the Walking Dead toys and asking her mother, who was outside of said aisle, if she can buy one of them...

Overall, if this does go through, I think only the toys that depict anything that not suitable for those under the age of 13 or 14 should be pulled off the shelf... So, Walking Dead is out, but just the characters of Game of Thrones, like just Daenerys and her dragons, are fine from just the toy aspect alone... I mean, if these kind of toys, even if they still look like toys that even a kid would play with like it's a Transformer or a Barbie product for example, are going to be pulled just because of what they're referring to, then I guess those Matrix and Watchmen toys I also saw at TRU should be pulled as well for being associated to a rated-R movie, right?

 

[lunavixen]

Spoiler

I suspect the issue is not that parents aren't able to tell their children "no", I suspect the issue is that they don't want to have to explain to their children what meth is, why it's actually not a toy (even though it's part of a toy), why a place that's marketed as a safe place for children has toys they shouldn't play with, or why there are adults who play with toys even though they're adults. And it's not like most of the target demographic of Toys R' Us would even understand most of the answers to those questions.

Kids young enough to not understand won't need to understand what meth is, and those old enough to understand should know what it is and why it's bad. Also, most parents are smart enough to not give collectors action figures to a child, they're not durable by any means and aren't age rated for children under 15, the toys in question are also located in the adult action figure areas.

Spoiler

Look, I don't hold with over-reactive parents trying to shield children from every thing in the real world. It was silly when I saw parents claiming transformers were bad for children. It was silly when I saw parents claiming G.I. Joe was bad for children. It was silly when I saw parents claiming Inhumanoids or Gargoyles were bad for children. It was silly when I saw parents claiming that that doll that allows girls to pretend they're breastfeeding a baby was bad for children. But meth is bad for children. A show about a man making meth to deal with his impotent anger at a world that he's convinced himself is unfair to him when in fact he's just a giant self-destructive hateful putz is bad for children.

I agree.

I also know that Breaking bad has never been suitable for children, I've seen the series, which is why I said that any child who knows who Walter White is and what he does has bigger issues.

Spoiler

Toys R' Us sells the toy: children are exposed to a toy which encourages an irreverent approach to dangerous drugs at an age where they lack the critical thinking skills to make judgments for themselves.

Toys R' Us doesn't sell the toy: Adult collectors who presumably have jobs that allow them to earn disposable money have to pay slightly more for shipping.

Or buy the toys at Hot Topics, Spencers, or any of the other myriad stores selling knickknacks for adults that children aren't encouraged to be set loose in.

Kids start gaining critical thinking skills around the age of 6-10 or so and the figure (at Toys R' Us) is rated for 15+, Walmart is the same. So why would any responsible parent give it to a younger child?

The toy isn't mixed in with childrens toys, it's separated out into an adults sections, which is where it should be. I've had to miss out on things over the internet because shipping would have doubled the price (or more), that's not slightly.

We don't have Hot Topic, I've never even heard of Spencers outside the internet and the nearest pop culture shop related store (that isn't EB or its limited selection) is over an hour away by car. Not everyone has ready access to a lot of those places and some online stores don't ship internationally.

I stuck the quoted text in spoiler tags to keep the post length down a little.

 

[kasperbbs]

If i was a kid and saw that figurine or any other from the 'to be banned' list i would just think that it's some middle aged dude, a kick ass robot and some people with swords, but if their kids know who this is then they should be more worried about their own parenting.

 

[EeveeElectro]

...Do they not realise places like Forbidden Planet sell these toys? Why don't adults just go there? Or buy it online? I don't even know where the Toys r Us is in Leeds but I can direct you to three different comic book shops that sell Breaking Bad merch.

I agree with the parents, it's not the right place to sell BB figures. I don't see it as overreacting. I wouldn't expect parents to be letting their very young child watch Breaking Bad. The last time I went into one of their shops it was just toys. No section for adults.
There should be plenty of other places that are perfectly acceptable surrounding the area if other countries are like England, where TRU stores are few and far between.

 

[AT God]

I agree with the parents in so much as it is a terrible idea to sell toys for an extremely adult-oriented show at a children's toy store. However, demanding the toys be pulled is a great way to make the toys big sellers because of how people work. And I also think that lots of kids who might visit Toys R Us have probably seen Breaking Bad and would want the toys since anything that is taboo is more enticing to kids.

 

[Pseudonym]

Now TRU can do whatever they want but as far as I know they are a store aimed primarily at kids and I can understand why parents would be worried about breaking bad toys being sold to their children. Then again, you don't have to buy the toys for your children and as a parent you have the power and the responsibility to keep toys that you believe are inappropriate away from your children. IF I were a ceo of TRU I would probably pull the toys but I don't have a very strong opinion about the subject either way.

 

[Assassinator1097]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with Toys R Us selling Breaking Bad figures. I'm not sure how many people here have actually been to a Toy R Us' action figure section, but every single one I've been too since I was a kid has had collector's figures, most recognizable of these, MacFarlane figures. Spawn, Alien, Predator.

None of these figures are from media that was "meant" for kids. Yet Toys R Us has been selling these for over a decade now and no one has batted an eye. All of these figures are way darker than a man in a hazmat suit. I even remember there being some of MacFarlane's "Horror Fairytales" being sold at Toys R Us as a kid and those scarred me more than anything else. Not sure I needed to see little red riding hood holding the wolf's severed head at 5 years old, but it did teach me a bit about the world (Although even as a kid I could appreciate the meticulous sculpt). The only reason this is an issue is because now these house mom's recognize this toy line. More than likely because they've seen the show themselves. Anyway, this whole thing is just such a huge level of pettiness I had to make a post. Well-sculpted figures were my favorite as a kid and teenager; crazy house mom's shouldn't be able to deny future generations the enjoyment of some decent figures.

 

[teh_Canape]

If a parent's young child even recognizes who one of the Breaking Bad characters is, I'd say they've got bigger first-world problems to worry about than the fact that the toy store is carrying the toys.

Outcries like this are barely worth anybody's time. From my point of view, the whole range of the situation, from parents wanting to double- and triple-shelter their children to grown adults paying through the nose for Chinese-made plastic bullshit, is vulgar consumer decadence of the highest order. Fussy helicopter parents could stand to shoulder more responsibility and control for raising their kids and man-children could stand to realize that it's perfectly okay to enjoy the artistry of a movie or TV show without having to redecorate their house with a bunch of silly paraphernalia.

I agree with this
if anything, the breaking bad figures/characters are too... "normal" for what a kid would want
it's just people wearing regular clothes, no battle suit, no space armor, no commando tank top with an M4, nothing
it's most likely there for people who recognize the figures to buy as collection stuff or something like that, not to play

 

[Adultism]

These are the same parents that let their children watch MTV, and all the horrible bile that airs there. So it doesn't really matter this next generation coming is going to be BAAAADDD

Worse than you can ever imagine, the evilest, cruelest, most horrifying kind of people are growing up right now.

OT: Which is why it doesn't really bother me that there are BB toys on the shelves of toys r us, i've also seen M rated games sold there but when moms rally together over something trivial, you bet they won't give up soon.

 

[OneCatch]

The real irony being that most of the parents who are supporting the banning of these toys probably more than likely buy M-rated games for their kids but thats besides the point.

What makes you think that? Do you have some evidence or even some reasoning that suggests parents who are more militant about what content their children are exposed to are more likely to let them play mature games?

More generally, I've got no problem with Breaking Bad merchandise, but stocking it at Toy R Us is a bit weird. Toys R Us is primarily for young kids, so I can see why parents are concerned. Anyone who wants Breaking Bad merch can buy it somewhere else, in the same way that I don't expect to find GTA merch in the Disney store.

 

[Ieyke]

I more gravitate to saying they should keep them but make a consolidated section for more mature stuff.
I don't really think Breaking Bad stuff is any more out of place than Mortal Kombat and Walking Dead stuff.

 

[the doom cannon]

I agree these toys should not be in stores. But WTF parents, why are your kids watching a show about making crystal meth.

 

[flying_whimsy]

I'm not surprised there are Breaking Bad toys aimed at the adult audience; there's basically an entire aisle of toys based off games and movies that pretty only adults would be interested in. I would urge tru to not carry it, but I wouldn't force them to. After all, they do get a lot of the adult-oriented my little pony collectibles and even get exclusives aimed at that audience.

That said, breaking bad (and to a lesser extent walking dead and other non-game or -toy related things) seems a bit out of place even in the adult-collector aisle of the store; it seems like something that hot topic should have as some sort of edgy exclusive thing.

 

[Quadocky]

wait, there is actual demand for toys based off of breaking bad?

Cook meth with Mister White! Uh oh! Watch out for the Mexican drug cartels trying to spoil your fun!

Hide the body in the secret compartment of our new Mobile Drug Lab Play Set!

Try our new Easy Meth Cooker! Now with Biker Meth Blue Dye!

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Why in the hell would a kid want a toy of Walter White or Jesse Pinkman anyway? I mean, the fact that it's an adult show doesn't really matter: Robocop, Terminator, etc. are all 'adult' shows but I can certainly see a kid wanting an ED 209 toy or a Terminator toy.

But seriously, what in the hell is a kid going to do with an action figure of a 50 year old chemistry teacher, a 22 year old high school dropout with awful fashion sense, or a Guatemalan cartel leader?

Up to Toys R Us if they want to carry the toys, but these are some bizarre action figures.

 

[spartan231490]

Not unless the toys themselves are inappropriate for children. If your kid gets the reference to a show they shouldn't be watching, how did they recognize the show? Only if the parents allowed them to watch it.