The TV show Breaking Bad has become a complete phenomenon: almost everyone who watches it becomes instantly obsessed. This craze has spread so much that, although the series finale aired over a year ago, Toys R Us and other companies just recently started selling action figures modeled after the characters on the show. That is, until a woman, dubbed “Florida Mom” by the Internet, started a petition on the popular website change.org for Toys R Us to remove the Breaking Bad dolls from their shelves.
Breaking Bad stars Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston were both absolutely livid about the removal of the toys. Paul tweeted: “Florida mom really messed it up for everyone.” The dolls are sold with accessories including guns, piles of money, and tiny bags of blue meth, which is what Florida Mom took serious issue with. In her petition, she stated that these items, as well as the themes of the show in general, were too mature for typical Toys R Us shoppers.
As Paul points out, though, Toys R Us still sells video games with mature themes similar to those of the show, including violence, drugs, and sex. The sheer number of these video games outnumbers any amount of shelf space that could be taken up by the Breaking Bad dolls. Additionally, Toys R Us sells fake weapons, like guns, knives, and swords. These promote actual physical behavior between children, whereas the action figures are purely for imaginative play, or most likely for display. G.I. Joes have guns and weapons. Florida Mom apparently doesn’t take issue with these items.
Paul also brings up Barbie dolls, mentioning that these toys are much more damaging for children. With her miniscule waist, long blonde hair, and perfectly done make-up, Barbie has been perpetuating beauty stereotypes for young girls since she hit store shelves in 1959. With the addition of the Ken dolls, boys’ self-confidence has also been in question. The Breaking Bad dolls don’t necessarily promote a healthy lifestyle, but they certainly aren’t any more damaging than Barbie dolls.
In response to their removal, fans of the show started a petition to combat Florida Mom’s petition. As the author of the petition states, “PARENTS should be the one dictating what their kids watch, buy, read, play and consume, NOT the buyers or employees of Toys R Us.” If you don’t want your kids to buy Breaking Bad action figures because you’re uncomfortable with the show, don’t let them watch the show. Then they’ll have no interest in buying the dolls. Problem solved.
What do you think? Are Breaking Bad dolls more damaging than Barbies? What about violent video games and fake weapons? Should Toys R Us be responsible for monitoring what kids are interested in? Or does that fall on parents?
Sources:
Twitter: @aaronpaul_8, @BryanCranston, @ToysRUs