NEW YORK—Toys “R” Us is pulling its four collectible dolls based on characters from AMC’s hit series “Breaking Bad” after taking heat from a Florida mom who launched a petition campaign last week.
The dolls are based on the 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 told the Associated Press late Tuesday that the dolls are being removed immediately from its website and shelves. The retailer had maintained that the figures were sold in limited quantities in the adult action figure area of its stores.
The mom, Susan Schrivjer, launched a petition on change.org last week, demanding that Toys “R” Us immediately stop selling the dolls. She wrote, “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.”
As of Tuesday, the petition had 8,000 signatures.
On Monday, Bryan Cranston, the actor who played White, responded to the controversy, tweeting, “I’m so mad. I am burning my Florida mom action figure in protest.”
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 nearly 3,000 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, adding, “I also like toys/action figures… 3-D representations of characters from my favorite properties. I love being able to walk into a store and find them.” AP