For those not familiar, "Breaking Bad" was a highly successful AMC cable television show about a chemistry teacher who used his training to make meth and become a drug lord. The show's popularity led to the creation of a line of action figures. Those figures wound up on the shelves of Toys "R" Us, drawing the ire of a Florida mom who started a petition on Change.org to get the chain to remove them. Toys "R" Us has done that, making some people happy and others not so much.
The petition on Change.org, started by a woman from Fort Myers, FL, reads, "Toys 'R' Us is well known around the world for their vast selection of toys for children of all ages. However their decision to sell a Breaking Bad doll, complete with a detachable sack of cash and a bag of meth, alongside children's toys is a dangerous deviation from their family friendly values." As of earlier today, there were 9,300 signatures on the petition.
While Toys "R" Us maintained that it only sold the Breaking Bad toys in the area of its stores reserved for adult action figures, it nonetheless decided to remove the items from its shelves. A search on toysrus.com also turned up zero results for the show title or the name of its main character, Walter White.
According to The Associated Press, the retailer issued a statement that said, "The action figures have taken an indefinite sabbatical."
While some were pleased with the chain's action, others were not. Some went as far as to say they would no longer be shopping at Toys "R" for caving to pressure from the PC police.