Toys R Us pulls "Breaking Bad" dolls after controversy
Toys R Us says it's pulling its four collectible dolls based on "Breaking Bad" characters after taking heat from a Florida mom who launched a petition campaign last week.
The dolls are based on the AMC series about Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher who turns into a crystal meth dealer, and his sidekick Jesse Pinkman. The figures have a detachable bag of cash and a bag of methamphetamines.
Toys R Us, which is based in Wayne, New Jersey, told The Associated Press late Tuesday that the dolls are being removed immediately from its website and shelves.
"Let's just say, the action figures have taken an indefinite sabbatical," Toys R Us said in a statement. The retailer had maintained that the figures were sold in limited quantities in the adult-action-figure area of its stores.
The Fort Myers, Florida, mom, identified by news media as Susan Schrivjer, launched a petition on change.org last week, demanding that Toys R Us immediately stop selling the dolls. The mom, who wrote the petition under the name Susan Myers, said that the dolls are a "dangerous deviation from their family friendly values."
"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," she wrote.
As of Wednesday, the petition more than 9,000 signatures.
On Monday, Bryan Cranston, the actor who played White, responded to the controversy on Twitter:
"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
The debate has also spurred die-hard adult figure collectors to rally behind Toys R Us. Daniel Pickett, of Manhattan Beach, California, launched a petition on change.org in favor of the toy seller keeping the dolls. So far, it has collected more than 4,000 signatures.
"I'm a parent of a school aged child myself, but I'm an informed, responsible parent and I closely monitor the toys, TV, music, movies and games that my daughter sees," Pickett wrote. "That's my job, and I take it seriously. But I also like toys/action figures and I want 3-D representations of characters from my favorite properties and I love being able to walk into a store and find them."
"Breaking Bad" ended its five-season run last year. A spinoff series, "Better Call Saul," is due to debut in early 2015.