Toys 'R Us Pulling Breaking Bad Action Figures After Mom's Petition

StewShearerOld

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Jan 5, 2013
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Toys 'R Us Pulling Breaking Bad Action Figures After Mom's Petition



Toys 'R Us is removing Breaking Bad toys from its shelves after a Florida woman launched a petition to defend the retail chain's "family friendly values."

So most of us can probably agree that <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/132415-Kojima-Im-Jealous-I-Didnt-Think-of-Breaking-Bad>Breaking Bad was fantastic, yes? The writing, the acting, the obvious amount of work that went into making pretty much every little detail matter and mean something; they all added up to a TV series that will probably be remembered as a peak product of its medium for years to come. That being the case, with its focus on drugs, crime and general human awfulness, it's also not the sort of show you'd want your kids to watch.

For some parents though, keeping their kids from watching <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/breaking%20bad>Breaking Bad wasn't enough. For some it was important the series be completely removed from anything related to children. Florida mother Susan Schrijver, for instance, recently launched a <a href=http://www.change.org/p/toys-r-us-remove-breaking-bad-dolls-from-their-shelves>Change.org petition aimed at convincing Toys 'R Us to remove a line of Breaking Bad action figures from its stores.

"Toys R Us is well known around the world for their vast selection of toys for children of all ages," said Schrijver in her petition. "Their decision to sell a Breaking Bad doll, complete with a detachable sack of cash and a bag of meth, alongside children's toys is a dangerous deviation from their family friendly values. That's why I'm calling on Toys R Us to immediately stop selling the Breaking Bad doll collection in their stores and on their website."

Schrijver's petition quickly picked up steam, drawing support from thousands of like-minded and parents. Toys R' Us, in turn, initially defended its decision to sell the toys, citing the fact that their packaging clearly states they're intended for customers over the age of 15. It has since recanted that stance however, and has most recently agreed to pull the toys from sale for what it's describing as an "indefinite sabbatical." In response to this and to Schrijver's petition, a second petition has been launched urging the store to keep selling adult-themed toys like the <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127726-Breaking-Bad-Spinoff-Series-Greenlit-by-AMC>Breaking Bad figures for adult collectors who might enjoy purchasing them. <a href=http://www.change.org/p/toys-r-us-keep-breaking-bad-and-other-adult-collector-figures-on-tru-shelves>That petition is currently closing in on 5,000 supporters. Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston has also weighed in several times on the controversy, joking at one point that he had plans to burn his "Florida Mom action figure in protest."

Speaking personally, Schrijver's sentiments as well as Toys 'R Us capitulation strike a rather sour note with me. I'm not a huge toy collector but I do enjoy perusing the store's shelves when I visit with my daughter and my experience has been that the store does a good job of keeping its adult-targeted toys in their own separate aisle. In other words, unless you're the sort that lets your kids run wild, you'd have to bring them there yourself for them to see anything potentially inappropriate. Out of curiosity, I also checked with Toys 'R Us to see if they had any sort of age restrictions governing toy sales. The company replied that it has "an ID check process for mature video games, but not for action figures." Perhaps implementing something similar for toys would be a better solution than banning certain action figures outright.

Source: Fox News





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McGuinty1

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Oct 30, 2010
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This is making me nostalgic for my Robocop action figures back in the day. Now we need a ASAC Schrader Saturday morning cartoon!

E: Younger Hank and Gomie busting crims and telling kids to say no to drugs would totally work, but they'd have to leave out Hank's casual racism.
 

sirjeffofshort

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I really don't have a problem with the toys not being available at this particular retailer (especially if they're charging $20+ for a figure according to that picture up there... seriously? Is that what action figures cost now?) especially if they are traditionally known for their outfacing child like persona. It's not like the toys are now unavailable, and, honestly most any adult I know of would think to just pull up a figure they want on Amazon before visiting Toys R' Us for it.

That said, I wish it had come about as a result of restraint on the behalf of the company in the first place, rather than a mandate for censorship by a consumer.

Basically I'm just saying Censorship = Bad. Restraint, understanding and responsibility to your target audience = Good.
 

SilverUchiha

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Dec 25, 2008
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Can't agree with this one bit. God forbid parents actually be parents and keep their kids away from this stuff instead of insisting corporations, the government, and everyone else keep their potentially harmful material away from their "precious children". This woman is clearly someone who has WAY too much free time because she made a petition to remove a toy from an adult-oriented section of a toy-store instead of just not letting her kids see them. She's just as bad as the parents who let their kids play M-rated games and then complain about how easy it is to get M-rated games. idiot.
 

ryukage_sama

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Toys R Us sells plenty of action figures from similarly mature IP. Breaking Bad is simply the first time this mom actually recognized it. The chain decided to side with the larger demographic. Sure I buy some stuff for myself from Toys 'R Us each year, but nothing near what my brother spends there on his two kids.

I'm not even a fan of BrBa, but I like that the store has action figures designed for adults. Hopefully, these zealous parents will remain oblivious to similar merchandise.
 

Booklover13

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First off in this case there was no censorship. There was a consumer voicing a concern to a company. The company then looked at pro/cons and decided to no longer carry the product. Censorship is a government action, this was a company practicing their Freedom of Association. I wish more people understood the difference between the two.

I think the problem I have reading this is that is sounds like a, "only when I agree with it" type of thing. We don't like petitioners getting a company to do A, but if the petition was for thing B we would be all for it. This is how this process works, if the people showed they cared a bout a choice a company made, they complain to the company. The company then can choose how to respond. In this case the company decided to listen, but because they made this choice they were wrong. I find this interesting in a gaming context where I often read people wishing that the companies would listen to their consumers more.

Also, I do not blame parents for giving their kids a bit more freedom inside a toy store like Toys-R-US. The store markets itself as a kid-friendly location, so letting kids wander a bit (I think a 9-10 years might be able to handle being a aisle over from their parents) is not ridiculous. I don't necessity think a toy rated 15+ is really in their primary target demographic, seems more like a Newbury Comic type of thing.
 

deth2munkies

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I thought it was a bit ridiculous till I saw the accessories. I mean really? Selling an action figure with illegal drugs in a Toys-R-Us? Seems off to me.
 

EyeReaper

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I find this silly.
Toys R us has figures from things like Mortal Kombat, Family guy, Bioshock, or South Park, but Breaking Bad is where the line was crossed?

Relatedly, anybody remember way back in the forgotten ages (the nineties) when they had kid's toys based on the movie Alien? If that was ok, why isn't Bryan Cranberry sauce?
 

JamesBr

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See, and I distinctly remember going to Toy R Us as a kid and seeing Todd MacFarlane toys for sale. You know the ones, the REALLY gruesome and gory kind that should probably not be SEEN by kids, much less purchased. I mean, its the store's prerogative to sell whatever they want, I buy my figures from places where there are no kids running underfoot (a much better option), I just find it amusing that THIS is what got pulled from shelves. They've sold much, MUCH worse in the past without so much as a blip in the news about it.
 

faefrost

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It was a reasonable complaint for the Mom to ask. "dear Toys R Us, why do you have a series of Meth Lab Action Figures in your kids toy store?" I don't have a problem with Breaking Bad Action figures, I just don't think Toys-R-Us are a particularly good venue for carrying them. TRU's target customer is a bit to young. They are more adult collectables.

And before anyone brings up Walking Dead, there is a difference between "scary" and "Meth Dealer"
 

Fappy

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They sell rated M games. Think about that for a moment.

These parents must have no clue what else this retailer sells.
 

faefrost

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JamesBr said:
See, and I distinctly remember going to Toy R Us as a kid and seeing Todd MacFarlane toys for sale. You know the ones, the REALLY gruesome and gory kind that should probably not be SEEN by kids, much less purchased. I mean, its the store's prerogative to sell whatever they want, I buy my figures from places where there are no kids running underfoot (a much better option), I just find it amusing that THIS is what got pulled from shelves. They've sold much, MUCH worse in the past without so much as a blip in the news about it.
They really haven't. Gruesome and Gory is bread and butter to kids of a certain age block. Moreso even than adults. It's always been that way. But the Breaking Bad action figures seemed to be reveling in and romanticizing violent criminal drug culture. A similar argument could be made for not selling an Al Pacino Scarface action figure at TRU. The product skews way outside any of the merchants target audiences. So much so that it seems problematic. Kind of like putting porn in the magazine racks at the front of the store next to the Pokemon books.
 

Jacked Assassin

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Jun 4, 2010
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First they take Breaking Bad action figures away. Next they'll take away the "Love Dolls". Then where will I go for my fake hookers & blow? Come on! I got to stay a Toys R' Us Kid!

/sarcasm

On the bright side FART didn't have to get involved.
 

Kenjitsuka

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Sep 10, 2009
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What would an innocent child know about Breaking Bad????
I agree that Toy's R Us is a TERRIBLE place to sell that, because their target audience has zero overlap with the figures.

But this censorship BS? That's exhasperating. Thank goodness we don't have such nonsense over here, but then that woman has a Dutch name. Sigh...
 

JamesBr

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Nov 4, 2010
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faefrost said:
JamesBr said:
See, and I distinctly remember going to Toy R Us as a kid and seeing Todd MacFarlane toys for sale. You know the ones, the REALLY gruesome and gory kind that should probably not be SEEN by kids, much less purchased. I mean, its the store's prerogative to sell whatever they want, I buy my figures from places where there are no kids running underfoot (a much better option), I just find it amusing that THIS is what got pulled from shelves. They've sold much, MUCH worse in the past without so much as a blip in the news about it.
They really haven't. Gruesome and Gory is bread and butter to kids of a certain age block. Moreso even than adults. It's always been that way. But the Breaking Bad action figures seemed to be reveling in and romanticizing violent criminal drug culture. A similar argument could be made for not selling an Al Pacino Scarface action figure at TRU. The product skews way outside any of the merchants target audiences. So much so that it seems problematic. Kind of like putting porn in the magazine racks at the front of the store next to the Pokemon books.
Except the target audience of gruesome and gory toys with minimal articulation is adult collectors, not children. The idea that horrific, graphic violence is somehow more appropriate is....I dunno. Off. The target audience for both is clearly adults. They both skew waaaaaay outside the range of "children". Same logic with selling M rated games (which they do). The intended audience is NOT children, but it doesn't stop them from putting it on the shelves (and refusing the sale when appropriate). /shrug either way, I don't really care. A store is allowed to shelve whatever it wants. BUT it IS ironic in the same way North American culture gets a stick up its ass over sex and drug use in media (movies and TV especially), but violence tends to get a pass.
 

Alex Laird

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Sep 6, 2013
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Do you remember how gory the original Robocop was?
I think I can say categorically that we are all better for living in a world where Toy 'R' Us never sold action figures connected to that movie franchise... wait...
 

Tyranicus

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Feb 8, 2008
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How bout this, it's really simple...Don't buy your kid the fucking toy!!!! Same thing applies to video games. If you don't want your kid to play GTA than don't buy it. These parents need to stop impulse buying then realising that what they bought is for adults.
 

P-89 Scorpion

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deth2munkies said:
I thought it was a bit ridiculous till I saw the accessories. I mean really? Selling an action figure with illegal drugs in a Toys-R-Us? Seems off to me.
But all the figures with guns and swords are A-Okay.