Remove Breaking Bad Action Figures from Toys R Us?
There’s a CNN article that goes into the details — Mother wants ‘Breaking Bad’ figures removed from Toys R Us — but the basics boil down to a woman has decided that the Mezco Breaking Bad action figures (Amazon.com search*) should not be available at Toys R Us.
Seriously? Is this really how parents “protect” their children these days? And the petition comments quoted in the article are equally as confusing as the entire issue:
“It’s sick that a company would design kids toys that glorify the making of meth. It’s just as sick to sell them,” wrote Jaime Keasler.
Why stop there, people? If the Breaking Bad action figures are so terrible then how is it justifiable that Sons of Anarchy toys are left out of the entire petition? And the Gears of War video game and action figures, are those okay if Breaking Bad is awful?
Parents should definitely take action to raise their children responsibly, but zeroing in on a single action figure series — and a very tiny one at that! — and raising an online ruckus strikes me as the wrong way to concern yourself about your own kids. Hey, Florida Mom, why don’t you focus your energies on your home and leave the “I’m a gonna fight social wrongs!” to the people who are actually working to make the world a better place?
This entire incident is just stupid.
Related articles
- SDCC 2014: Mezco Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy (actionfigurepics.com)
- Breaking Bad Walter White Figure by MEZCO (toysrevil.blogspot.com)
- Toy Fair 2014 – Funko Legacy and ReAction (thefwoosh.com)
I don’t agree with the mother at all but I’m not sure the incident is stupid. Actually, it makes a lot of sense if you don’t realize there’s an entire adult collector community for toys, which a lot of people don’t.
@stack32 – What I find stupid is that it’s targeting one very tiny slice of the store. Aren’t there other toys right beside the Breaking Bad figures that are violent and wrong?
(Well, the entire idea that action figures will somehow lead kids to become drug dealers or something is as believable to me as playing with Cobra action figures turns a kid into a terrorist.)
As a parent, it’s my job to make sure my sons don’t get exposed to things that aren’t age appropriate. It seems that this woman wants TRU to be responsible for that.
My oldest is 7 and I can guarantee that he doesn’t know what breaking bad is and could care less about the action figures!
I agree with you Phil, what about walking dead? That show is super violent and those toys are everywhere (and gory)!
You reflect my sentiment exactly. If my kid sees these figures they’d think “oh, it’s a figure of a guy,” and that’s all they would know. It’s my job to make sure she doesn’t know “hey, that’s a figure of that meth guy on the TV.”
Thank you — I share the same sentiment. I am not a parent, but I certainly have enough nieces and nephews and friends & family with children to give enough of a rat’s ass — but I feel as though this is a case of yet another parent who wants someone else to do their job for them.
I told my wife about this and she said, “there goes Star Wars because of the Death Star!”
This has been going on forever. When I was a kid, there was a huge uproar over violent toys, with parent groups and “family values” groups going pretty nuts over G.I. Joe and realistic gun toys. There was also a crazy censorship movement in music headed up, in part, by Tipper Gore. Add to that a panic over Satanic cults that was swirling around in 1984-85, and it all added up to me having to break my Motley Crue, Shout at the Devil album in front of my parents. I think certain parents get all worked up about how their kids are going to turn out and like to find what, to them, seems like an easy answer and likely culprit. They find it easier to ignore the real cultural causes for kids that follow a negative path, while not realizing that most kids grow up to be okay. This latest over-reaction is just another group of parents who, on any other day, might bitch about Grand Theft Auto or Howard Stern or Diehard being rerun at 11:00 at night. I think We, The Rational should just keep talking about this issue, and keep buying the toys we like. Maybe our voices and our purchasing power can drown out the squawking chatter of the lunatic fringe. I’m a dad now, and I totally get why it’s easy to freak out about your kids. It’s my job to guide my son through life and make sure he ends up being happy, healthy, kind and intelligent. It’s not the job of toy stores, TV networks or record labels.
What did you say? “It’s not the job of toy stores, TV networks or record labels.” That’s preposterous! Of course it’s the job of toy stores, TV networks, schools, and the government to teach your children — who else would be doing that?
Yeah, implement some actual parenting and steer kids away from the aisle full of toys that are obviously meant for adult collectors. I think that’s part of the issue here. Many people will just say “Toys are for kids” and she shocked and appalled that adults collect toys, too. But this is a growing trend and Toys R Us is smart to cater to ALL their customers.
Please sign this petition that Daniel Pickett at Action Figure Insider has created so that a counter voice can be heard in this issue. it is through change.org:
http://www.change.org/p/toys-r-us-keep-breaking-bad-and-other-adult-collector-figures-on-tru-shelves?recruiter=162461784
I have signed it and shared it on FB.
I thought ‘toys’ needed to have articulation? *BURN* Seriously.. what kid would want one of these? A middle aged man with no articulation.. Fun. 😉
The big part of this that they missed is these are not “kids toys”. I think thats the core point of contention here, this lady thinks these are aimed at kids, when they clearly are not. Ive seen much worse stuff in that aisle, like the video game figures with half their brains splattered everywhere.
Clearly — once again it’s the same old misconception that toys, comics, video games, cartoons, etc. are only meant for children. I think some people grow up so completely insulated that they can’t even concieve of this.