Get your Walter White and Jesse Pinkman Now...

[Toy Timelord]

So what solution would you propose?

They're already in a separate area. What else could be done?

Nobody is saying parents don't have a right to object. Only that she shouldn't make that decision for every other consumer.

[CrimsonGhost]

^I agree with her objection, but not her solution.

It's her solution that has everyone upset, not her objection.

[enyawd72]

So what solution would you propose?

Oh I don't know...just forget about it and move on with my life? It's really not worth getting upset about. There's already a laundry list of toys a person can't find at TRU...what's one more?
I gave up trying to find any new Marvel Legends, DCU, or Star Wars there years ago. By all accounts, they're on the verge of going out of business anyway.

[Toy Timelord]

That isn't very helpful. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Or, to put it a better way, while I appreciate the sentiment, your uninvolvement in arrving at a solution that benefits everybody, while not impeding progress, also does nothing to advance it.

You said you disagreed with her solution, so what would you do to benefit both sides?

"what's one more?" This isn't about one more. This is another step towards driving adult collector lines out of TRU. First Django, then Dexter, now this. I'd venture this won't stop, especially now that they're emboldened.

So, where does it end if we don't speak up now, or don't offer a solution that benefits both sides?

My money is just as good as hers, and I spend a hell of a lot of it in that store, probably a damn sight more than her, and the 8000 other morons who signed off on her crusade.

[enyawd72]

^So I'm the problem now? You know what? Seems I recall another thread where you said...and I quote:

"Basically what I mean is if you've got nothing to complain about but a (insert toy name here), you've got it pretty good.
Be thankful you live in a country where this is your day's major conflict, as opposed to, say Having to fight insurgents and not knowing whether your head will be cut off for daring to be a woman who knows how to read."

I guess if your biggest problem is not finding your Walter White dolly at TRU you've got it pretty good huh?

Touche'

[Toy Timelord]

Indeed. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it, or if it didn't apply to me in turn.
Engarde.

[Dark Shadow]

Toys R Us has been selling monsters and thugs since it's inception.

Frankenstein; dead thing, killer, child killer.
Dracula; master of seduction, rape & murder.
Wolf-Man; shredder of innocents.
Mummy; dead thing, killer.
Darth Vader; murderer/child killer.
Green Goblin; murderer.

The list goes on & on.

I think the hypocrisy in this thread is a bit thick, and really quite amusing.

[Toy Timelord]

Well, if "Florida Mom and her 8000 Morons" have their way, you won't be able to buy anything at TRU but jump ropes and Hula Hoops.

Might get their Precious delicate snowflakes up and moving though, so might not be a bad thing. But then she already proved that instead of doing her job as a parent, she'd much rather have fifteen minutes of fame.

[Gorn Captain]

A lot of this debate wasn't really needed.

Florida Mom says it herself: The fired-up mom, however, has admitted to being a fan of the show. "I thought the show was great," she said. "It was riveting…just get those [dolls] off the shelf and put them in an appropriate store."

She's not so bad.
Now I'm going to propopse a Two-Pack: Walt White, dead on the floor, and Florida Mom with a smoking gun.
Then I'm going to petition against putting this set in a toy store...

[sprytel]

Toys R Us has been selling monsters and thugs since it's inception.

Frankenstein; dead thing, killer, child killer.
Dracula; master of seduction, rape & murder.
Wolf-Man; shredder of innocents.
Mummy; dead thing, killer.
Darth Vader; murderer/child killer.
Green Goblin; murderer.

The list goes on & on.

I think the hypocrisy in this thread is a bit thick, and really quite amusing.

I'd say the litmus test is probably something like:

1. Do the toys reflect appropriate moral values?

All the characters you listed are monsters or villains. Nobody is confused that Luke Skywaker is the good guy and Darth Vader is a bad guy. Moral ambiguity might make Walter White or Dexter interesting characters... but it makes them less appropriate for a mainstream family friendly retailer like TRU.

2. Are the toys overly graphic in content?

Toys that have graphic depictions of gore, sex, drugs, etc. may not be appropriate for a mainstream family friendly retailer like TRU. While there are depictions of the characters you mention that *are* graphic... but those aren't the ones they sell in TRU. Apparently, the Walter White figure comes with a bag of meth... but I'd agree that does not strike me as an overly graphic depiction. As others have mentioned, Waking Dead and other licenses I would consider far more graphic. In fact, my Toys R Us had in the game aisle games called "Smart ***" and its companion, "Dumb ***"... which in my opinion is every bit as inappropriate as anything in the action figure aisle.

Well, if "Florida Mom and her 8000 Morons" have their way, you won't be able to buy anything at TRU but jump ropes and Hula Hoops.

I gotta say it again... I really don't see why you all blame the mom. She saw something at her toy store that she felt was inappropriate, and she brought attention to it. All she did was apply the pressure to force TRU to be accountable for their decision.

There are a multitude of ways that TRU could have reacted to the situation. They could have worked to improve the segregation of "mature" toys and kid's toys. They could have put those toys behind the counter. They could have released a press release on how "toys aren't just for kids anymore". They could have said "f- you lady, we will sell whatever we want to."

The way TRU decided to deal with the problem is by pulling the figure. If you don't like the outcome, blame Toys R Us... not the mom.

[PNGwynne]

...There are a multitude of ways that TRU could have reacted to the situation. They could have worked to improve the segregation of "mature" toys and kid's toys. They could have put those toys behind the counter. They could have released a press release on how "toys aren't just for kids anymore". They could have said "f- you lady, we will sell whatever we want to."

The way TRU decided to deal with the problem is by pulling the figure. If you don't like the outcome, blame Toys R Us... not the mom.

I agree--TRU could have taken ownership of the situation but didn't. It didn't even spin it, which is surprising in today's corporate climate.

What we're really discussing here--and it applies to many other venues (some "adult" as already discussed) is censorship versus restriction.

TRU opted to accept outside censorship instead of internal restriction & that's sad IMO, & a slippery slope.

[Toy Timelord]

She is at fault because she just as easily could have come up with a solution that could have worked both for those who object (even if, like her, they only do so for attention), and those who wish to purchase those products (ie those who wish to buy toys in a *gasp* toy store.)

Instead she took it upon herself to make a decision for everybody, and so yes, she is absolutely wrong.

Again, nothing wrong with a parent objecting to objectionable material. What is wrong, is punishing EVERYBODY. She's not my parent. She shouldn't be making my decisions.

[PNGwynne]

No: she expressed an opinion, which she tried to back up with a "consensus"--TRU came up with the solution.

[Iron Mego]

I agree--TRU could have taken ownership of the situation but didn't. It didn't even spin it, which is surprising in today's corporate climate.

What we're really discussing here--and it applies to many other venues (some "adult" as already discussed) is censorship versus restriction.

TRU opted to accept outside censorship instead of internal restriction & that's sad IMO, & a slippery slope.

Yes to this.

[Toy Timelord]

No: she expressed an opinion, which she tried to back up with a "consensus"--TRU came up with the solution.

She proposed the solution to have them removed, and no other solution.