Toys, Drugs, and Violence - A Response to Toys "R" Us Pulling BREAKING BAD Toys off Shelves
As you may have heard, a Florida-based mom named Susan Schrivjer complained about Toys "R" Us placing Breaking Bad toys on their shelves because it included blue toy meth. She started a petition to have the toys removed, and actor Bryan Cranston responded to that saying:
"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
Schrivjer got her way though, and Toys "R" Us has removed all of the Breaking Bad toys from their shelves. In a statement to Fox & Friends via THR this morning, she said,
"It was a bad idea to have a doll that has fake drugs on it in a toy store — that's the bottom line," she said, admittedly feeling victorious that the retailer has since pulled the product. " [I'm] proud of them for making the right decision."
This is absolutely ridiculous, and in the following quote she, in a way, contradicts everything that she just accomplished:
"Putting something that has fake illegal drugs with it next to G.I. Joe or Mario Bros. just morally isn't right. This has nothing to do with people taking their kids in there or buying that or anything, this has to do with the placement of that doll."
So what she's saying here is that it's ok to have toys with guns and knives that kill, but not drugs? That means toys with guns like G.I. Joe is morally right for her? Now I have nothing against G.I. Joe, I grew up playing with the action figure toy line. I would sit in my bedroom for hours on end having them shoot each other. G.I. Joes are awesome, and that's my point. I didn't grow up being a guy who owns a gun and goes around shooting people. How is this any different from having some blue plastic bits in a toys? Kids don't even know what it is unless you let them watch Breaking Bad, or tell them. If I was a kid and I opened up the package for Walter White, the first thing I would care less about and throw away is the blue specks of plastic. Why? Because I would have no idea what they were!
I'm not a kid though, I'm an adult, and this toy was specifically made for adults who are fans of the show. The packaging even says ages 15 and over, and it was located in the section for adult action figures. Is Toys "R" Us not allowed to sell adult action figures anymore? I hope not, because I enjoy going to Toys "R" Us and looking at the toys. I'll occasionally buy myself one.
To me this is just a case of a woman seeking attention, and making a big deal over something that doesn't need to be made. Whats next? This just seems like the first step in having toys like G.I. Joe pulled off shelves, as well as having MA-rated video games and rated "R" movies pulled out of sight because of their dark, violent, or racy cover art.
In the end, these Breaking Bad toys were rated just like the TV show it was based on, just like movies and video games, with it's 15 and up label. It is up to individual parents to decide what their kid can and cannot own, look at, or watch. I don't want another parent out there doing the job I'm supposed to do as a parent. This is America, dammit.