Toys R Us Removes ‘Breaking Bad’ Dolls From Shelves Amid Controversy
Toys R Us has voluntarily removed Breaking Bad dolls from their shelves. Although the dolls were not designed for small children, at least one parent argued that they are “a dangerous deviation from [Toys R Us’] family friendly values.”
Breaking Bad is a crime drama series, which originally aired from 2008 to 2013. The series centers on the misadventures of high school chemistry teacher Walter White.
As the series begins, Walter is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Faced with a grim prognosis, he realizes that he will no longer be able to provide for his family. In a moment of desperation, Walter decides to utilize his skills as a chemist to manufacture crystal meth.
Susan Myers, of Fort Myers, Florida, admits that she is a fan of the series. However, she was stunned to see Breaking Bad dolls on the shelves at Toys R Us. As she was terribly disturbed, the mother started an online petition to have the dolls removed from the toy store shelves.
“While the show may be compelling viewing for adults, its violent content and celebration of the drug trade make this collection unsuitable to be sold alongside Barbie dolls and Disney characters. Parents and grandparents… should not be forced to explain why a certain toy comes with a bag of highly dangerous and illegal drugs or why someone who sells those drugs deserves to be made into an action figure.”
Within days, the petition was signed by more than 9,000 supporters. The campaign also received more than 5,000 likes on Facebook.
In response to the complaints, and the petition, Toys R Us argued that the Breaking Bad dolls were “sold in limited quantities.” As reported by Huffington Post, the dolls were not sold “next to Barbie dolls and Disney characters.” Instead, they were featured in the “adult-action-figure” section.
Actor Bryan Cranston, who played Walter White in the hit series, responded to the controversy with humor. Through social media, the actor suggests that he was inspired to burn his “Florida mom action figure in protest” of Myers’ petition.
“Florida mom petitions against Toys ‘R Us over Breaking Bad action figures.” I’m so mad, I’m burning my Florida Mom action figure in protest
— Bryan Cranston (@BryanCranston) October 20, 2014
All humor aside, the response to Myers’ petition was overwhelming. The continued controversy prompted Toys R Us officials to remove the Breaking Dolls from their shelves.
Re: BB “Let’s just say, the action figures have taken an ‘indefinite sabbatical.'” — ToysRUs (@ToysRUs) October 21, 2014
Although it was a victory for the Florida mom, fans may be concerned that the “toys” are no longer available. Thankfully, there is no shortage of Breaking Bad dolls, action figures, and memorabilia.
The controversial dolls are available, at a reasonable price, from Amazon, Ebay, and Sears.
[Image via Mirror]
