Adult Toys Banned in Toys R Us?

35 Comments

1. kids are interested in toys from cartoons they watch. If a kid sees that toy, they wont pay attention to it for longer than a second and theyll go over to the superhero/barbie toys.

2. Amen to that!

3. ^ no prob, man.
   The whole world’s goin to crap these days, lil by lil. Every day, things in this world get a lil more risque and even though it seems cool to us at first, when all this crud builds up day by day, year by year, we get left in a much seedier world.
   One of the big problems is that ” I don’t wanna grow up, cause maybe if I did, I wouldn’t be a Toys R’ Us kid” idea. A lot of us HAVEN’T grown up. Anyone of us over the age of 15 on this site certainly hasn’t to a degree. But we got to remember, all these things from our childhood that we’re holding onto are still meant for children first. Let’s get over ourselves and our need for the toystores and comic books that we enjoyed as kids to have to grow up with us. We can still enjoy what we used to love without forcing it to go from a G to a PG to a PG13 to a R rated material. If we can’t then we should just drop it, and just stick to watching the local news and reading the paper.

4. And thanks for backing me up on this, Captain Cheesesteak…I was starting to think I was on my own here!

5. I can see it now…coming this Christmas: Tickle Me Ted Bundy

6. I love how passionate some people are about wanting this figure to be in a kids store.
   I’m only glad it’s a fictional serial killer and not a real one. And I’ll be just as amazed in 5 years when there’s a Unabomber or BTK killer figure in the toy stores and these same people are defending their right to stock em on the shelves.

7. Sam’s got it.

   AmFan15 definitely doesn’t.

8. Holy crap, I’m so sick of people who can’t raise their own kids without ‘budding’ in to other peoples lives. This toy is in the collectors toy section of toys r us, along with Freddy Krueger dolls…oh no!!!! I’m glad I was raised without blind folds, and I’m glad we raised our son the proper way. We didn’t have to shield him from anything, we taught him wrong from right. He’s almost 21 now, has lived a great enjoyable life so far, and is off in the US Air Force having a great time. Never any trouble. Then you have parents like my sister in law, who shield their kids from everything violent… and out of three kids, they’ve all have been suspended from school, for bringing knifes to school, fighting, etc… so sad. Just leave everyone else alone, don’t push your ‘values’ onto others, raise your kids the way you want…and good luck to ya.

   Oh yeah, the above is just my opinion, and you don’t have to agree. Some times us old geezers have to vent.

   Keep On Thwipin’!!!
   Sam

9. Designated section for adult collectors. Keep kids away from that section… Problem solved. Hell, they designated a section of the store for baby stuff.

10. Don’t take offense, GregXB. I only say that because no parent that I personally know would approve of such a thing. Sure, some of them might walk by it and shrug it off, and forget about it. But they don’t come to a website that encourages debate about these kinds of things. I’m not implying anything, or trying to get under anyone’s skin. I’m just stating my opinion. That’s what these comment sections and forums are for. I’m not saying that anyone else is wrong…I even said several times that the figure could be a hot collectible, and that IF the store had an adult aisle, I wouldn’t have a problem with it…but ONLY if. But as it stands, that’s my opinion. You have yours, I have mine, and there’s nothing either of us can say to change each others minds about it. We’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

11. What makes you think that those of us disagreeing with you don’t have kids? Or aren’t helping to raise kids? Why make that assumption?

12. I think some of you are missing my point…one day when you have kids of your own, you’ll understand. There IS a line to draw. When my daughter wanted to buy some Bratz dolls, I said no, because Bratz dolls are FAR too slutty for a 5 year old to play with. Some Barbies are too, but I just tell her no to those ones, and eventually we find one that she likes, and I’m comfortable letting her have.

    That is what parenting is all about. Believe it or not, the toys kids play with, the music they listen to, and the shows that they watch ALL contribute to how a child develops. Yes, you’re right, it is the job of every parent to try their best to make sure that their child understands what is right, and what is wrong, what’s OK, and what’s not. But that includes shielding them from things like this. And yes, you’re darn right that if we’re watching TV, and a show comes on that I don’t think is appropriate, I change the channel. Likewise the radio. However, in today’s society, these things are getting harder and harder to avoid. And when Toys R Us, America’s number one shop for kid’s toys, starts carrying things like this, it makes it damn near impossible.

    And in case anyone thinks that I’m causing my daughter harm by shielding her too much, let me tell you this: My daughter started school this year in an advanced class, and every teacher who has talked to her RAVES about how intelligent, well-mannered, and helpful she is. If that’s what comes from “overshielding” kids, then by God, I’m all for it!

13. Toys don’t hurt kids. Shitty parenting hurts kids. Also… unnecessary censorship. If you’re going to hide action-figures from them, don’t show them any comics either. And I’m not talking about current-day BND stuff. I mean classics like “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” or Amazing Fantasy #15. OMG death! How will little Jimmy ever recover from knowing bad things happen in the world? I know! Let’s shelter him! That will help his development!

14. SteveJRogers, well again, Toys R Us is a business and they can sell whatever they want. If any parent takes issue with it, they are free to take their business elsewhere. Let the free market decide what does and doesn’t get sold at a business establishment.

15. No Greg. George is right. There should be a line and quite frankly sure the parents should know enough, but certain parents are “let em do whatever the *&*()@ they want to” and if that means buying a bobble head doll of a Premium cable late evening television character then why not.

    The difference though with Dexter and The Joker is the stigma that comic books, sci-fi, fantasy, adventure and even horror based characters are aimed directly at a young fan base. Be it anywhere between tweenersm, teens or early 20s. Dexter CLEARLY is meant for an adult audience. And no, the kid isn’t going to go into a life of crime because they brought home the doll (toy or whatever you want to call it), but it might get them interested in what the character is all about…and there is where the problem lies.

    Sure I’ll admit I’ve seen R rated films and TV shows meant for older audiences before I hit my teens, but I wasn’t playing with a JR Ewing doll. I didn’t ask my parents to pick up Eddie Murphy’s Raw album because the 7 year old me liked his SNL characters.

    And that is another part of the problem as well. There are probably parents buying it that THINK its a character from a comic book. “Hmmm, isn’t that the guy from that comic book Junior reads?” So them being in Toys R Us is kind of a sly way of making more business from the ignorant shoppers.

16. George> The line is drawn with the parents. Despite what Hillary Clinton says, it does not take a village.

17. I’m a Dexter fan myself but yeah I don’t really think this is all that appropriate for the Toys R Us. Where do you draw the line? Should they stock porn star action figures, too?

18. You know something, I don’t think kids should be shielded from these things. At all. Period. I was not shielded from a damn thing as a child. My parents took me to see “Silence of the Lambs” when I was ten! And I had friends who have been shielded. My cousin was shielded from anything and everything. I cope with the world far better than any of them do. Why? Because I was given the tools to properly know how to deal with the ugliness of life.

    Crispin Freeman on Mature Animated Storytelling:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eors–FT8sY

    George Carlin talks about children:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS88Xx81ShU

    They’re both right.

19. You know I took one look at the title and thought “Whaaa?”. Then I watched the video and this turned out to be waaay less interesting then I imagined.

20. To be honest, my local Toys R’ Us almost always has way more adults shopping for toys than kids (or adults with kids). I don’t in any way think there is anything wrong with selling a toy in a toy store. There have always been violent toys out there for kids to buy and many that are very realistic….this isn’t anything new, people just get way too sensitive about some things.

21. That man is not a child, and he shops at Toys R Us. Oh no! Toys R Us accidentally tried to cater to his age group! Everybody run!

    What was the more disturbing thing in this; the fact that they called the Dexter figure a “doll”, or that BD labeled this as “adult toys”? 😛

22. I think Serial Killer Ken is a fantastic idea!

23. the funny part is he must of bought the damn toy cuz it was in his hands…. seriously if any one is offended by this they need to get over it. all a parent has to do is say “NO”. its one magic word that a parent has in their unlimited power. Toysrus already has to follow the law on not selling M rated games to minors so im sure they wont sell these to kids w/o parents consent.

24. I stand by what I said. I don’t see a problem with the figure itself, as the show is very popular, and an action figure seems like it would be a must-have for collectors. I just don’t think that Toys R Us is the right store to carry it. I wouldn’t have a problem with it at all if it was in a video store or comic shop, because they could display them more appropriately. But where could Toys R Us display THIS? (To be fair, the clip wasn’t very specific about WHERE the figure was displayed…If, like Thrawn suggests, there’s an adult collectors aisle, then that’s a different story. But when I think Toys R Us, I think kids…PERIOD.)

    And the difference between this figure and a Joker or Carnage figure is that those toys are usually not very realistically depicted. The Dexter figure has a bloody hacksaw, gloves, and an apron, and looks like anybody you might meet on the street. And if you read the package, he is actually described on the front as “America’s Favorite Serial Killer”, and the back of the box has him standing there with a bloody knife, making the “Shush” gesture…How is THIS appropriate in a kids toy store?

    And yes, Wal-mart, Blockbuster, and other stores have horror movies as well as kids movies, but every one I’ve ever been in has the kids videos set off on an aisle of their own. I don’t have to worry about my kid looking for the latest Barbie movie, and coming across the Texas Chainsaw Massacre by mistake (Although, personally, I’m not sure which is scarier!)

    I’m just saying that it’s a hard enough job trying to censor the radio, tv, and movies…I don’t want to have to worry about it at the toy store, too.

25. Of course they shouldn’t sell that there. If toys r us wants to start selling the more adult themed figures, they should starta new edgier themed store line, not just incorporate them into the store that’s considered for kids.
    You can make toys of comic book villians even though they may be killers in the comic stories, you can sell army guys even though they may kill actual people in wars, and you can sell WWf pro wrestlers who beat each other up until they bleed. You just don’t promote that aspect of them in the toy stores. The Joker isn’t sold with blood splatters on his knife, the packaging doesn’t talk about his murder of Robin, Triple H doesn’t get sold with a bloody steel chair, just a steel chair, and Army men don’t come with stats on how many kills each GI Joe got in the war.
    Granted, the gi joes still come with obvious weapons that can’t really be for anything else but killing, but that’s probably more our own goverments fault than Toys R Us.

26. CrazyChris beat me to it. Its okay to have every military vehicle and armament known to man on the shelves, but Dexter crosses the line? Over-sexualized dolls with huge breasts and tiny waists are okay. Dolls that urinate and defecate are okay. Comic book character serial killing villains are okay but not TV serial killer villains. Can somebody tell me where the line is drawn? I’m getting a mite confused…

27. The Toy Market isn’t what it used to be. In fact Adult Collector Figures are an important part of the market. The last TRU I was win had an adult collector aisle set aside for them. Does he complain when he goes into a video store? Does he know they have horror movies available to rent in the same store along with children’s films right? Walmart sells Disney films and movies like Basic Instinct and Silence of the Lambs.

28. There ain’t a kid in the world who’d even KNOW who Dexter was unless some irresponsible adult let them watch the show. And someone PLEASE tell me AmFan15 is kidding.

    1:44… now someone tell Jim Schultz to shut up.

29. This is seriously a news story? It must be have been a slow week . . . no, a slow CENTURY if an old man getting upset that someone is selling GASP a serial killer toy in a store where you can buy dozens of Joker and Carnage toys, as well as countless war-themed action figures, plastic guns and knives, and M Rated video games. The only conceivable difference between those things and Dexter is that Dexter is based on an adult-oriented TV show. So is the worry that the kid is going to see this toy and feel compelled to covertly order Showtime, hack his TV’s parental controls, and GASP see a show that’s likely just as violent as whatever was playing on WBNS Channel 10 before the news broadcast?

30. Man, it seems like these companies are TRYING to make parents jobs more difficult these days! Toys R Us is selling action figures of mass murderers? Marvel has Spider-Man ripping the face off a girl, and indiscriminately sleeping with every woman he meets…while one of his enemies is going around causing people to rape each other, and EATING his own child? Come on, people…what happened to responsibility?

    I mean, I’m not upset about the company making these toys…It’s a good show, and I can really see how these would sell to fans and collectors. But seriously, Toys R Us is NOT the place for it. Spencer’s Gifts would be a MUCH more appropriate place. I’ve bought a lot of Sideshow monster figures from them in the past, and know enough about the place to NEVER take my 5-year old in there! Or put them in movie stores, like F.Y.E…they sell all kinds of movies, music, and collectibles in there! (Just keep them in the “Horror” department…don’t put them next to the Dora and Spongebob videos!)

    Think about it (Brad, you’ll find yourself in this situation sooner than you think!): You work VERY hard trying to filter out the stuff on the radio, TV, and movies, to try to preserve your kid’s innocence. Then one day, you go to the toy store to start making a Christmas list, or buy something for a birthday, then BAM! GRINNING PSYCHOPATH WITH BLOODY HACKSAW!!!

    I can see why this guy got upset, and hope Toys R Us considers what they carry a little better from here on out.

31. I have no problem with it but something like this could shine a negative light on DC and Marvel toys. They sale a lot of figures who are serial killers. Granted they’re not as bloody as the Dexter figure.

32. The first thing I saw was Adult Toys, and knowing Brad…

    In all seriousness, I personally love Dexter. Its my favorite show. And while I’m certainly not “outraged” and honestly don’t feel particularly strongly one way or the other, common sense says this wasn’t the absolute greatest idea on the part of Toy R’ Us. I remember reading a similar thing about how Alien toys were pulled from toy stores back in 1979 becuase the toys gave kids nightmares.

33. So. Friggin. What?

    Is a Dexter action-figure going to corrupt the delicate mind of some 10 year old? Kids aren’t what they used to be. I would be more worried about what he’s seeing on the internet or on the local news at night or hearing in the latest Lady Gaga song. Or worse yet, what he’s hearing from his friends on the schoolyard. I can tell you all of the above it will probably do a hundred times more damage than a 6-inch smiling Dexter Morgan with a plastic hack-saw.

    Besides you don’t have to buy it for your kid. How hard is it to just wheel your cart past it? *shrug*

34. Yup, I was thinking the same thing when I saw it.

35. Sounds like a great topic for the podcast