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Toys R Us pulls 'Breaking Bad' dolls after Florida mom's petition (w/video)

 
Some parents are incensed over the new "Breaking Bad" action figures now being sold at Toys "R" Us, including a Florida mom. [McClatchy-Tribune]
Some parents are incensed over the new "Breaking Bad" action figures now being sold at Toys "R" Us, including a Florida mom. [McClatchy-Tribune]
Published Oct. 22, 2014

NEW YORK — Toys R Us is pulling its four collectible dolls based on the characters of 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 a high school chemistry teacher named Walter White who turns into a crystal meth dealer and his sidekick Jesse Pinkman The toys 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.

"Let's just say, the action figures have taken an indefinite sabbatical," said Toys R Us in a statement. The retailer had maintained that the figures are sold in limited quantities in the adult action figure area of its stores.

The Fort Myers mom, who was 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 Tuesday, the petition had 8,000 signatures.

On Monday, Bryan Cranston, the actor who plays White, responded to the controversy, tweeting, "I'm so mad. I am burning my Florida mom action figure in protest."