Fun is the premise, but in these cases, not the final result

The stories of four toys that were destined to be a success, but ended up failing miserably provoking the criticism of the parents who should have paid for them. The lousy comments came, in some cases, even to the point of causing the withdrawal of these products from the shelves, causing millions of losses to their manufacturers.

Leer en español: De escobas “voladoras” hasta una Barbie que convierte todo en oro, los juguetes más controversiales

Harry Potter Nimbus 2000

The successful franchise of the movie Harry Potter, lived its dark moment with this toy. Manufactured by Mattel for boys and girls ages eight and up, the toy was the replica of the flying broom worn by students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to play Quidditch. Mattel’s broom, which operated on batteries, imitated the sounds and vibration of the original. The criticism was immediate, because apparently the vibrations of the broom were being used by girls and boys in a very different way from what had originally been thought: a broom between the legs of children more vibration was not, exactly, the equation sought by the company. Although the toy enjoyed high demand at first, it ended up being discontinued, as stated by Time’s Internet portal in his article Top 10 Dubious Toys, in which it ranks number six.

Gluttony baby

The first baby doll: this is how the Spanish doll factory Berjuan offers this controversial toy. It is a doll specially designed to imitate breastfeeding, a natural process of human growth widely promoted due to the benefits it entails for the newborn and the mother. The product includes a bra that replaces the nipples with two flowers that the doll will suck when approaching them. The process ends when the baby burps. Although the manufacturer warns that the product is of a high pedagogical level, the discomfort of the North American parents who, according to the Internet portal Ser Padres consider that it is not necessary for the children to become aware of this process from an early age, did not take long. Some even claim that the toy can prompt premature pregnancies. The toy is still produced, and is endorsed by FEDELMA of Spain.

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Growing up Skipper

Everything that Barbie touches turns into gold: her accessories, her clothes, her houses and even her companions, as is the case of Ken and his younger sister named Skipper, the latter created by Mattel in 1964 as an alternative for parents who did not approve of the extremely adult figure of Barbie. Skipper has had many versions over time; being the most controversial one that was distributed between 1975 and 1977, according to the web page dollreference.com. Baptized Growing up Skipper, encouraged complaints from parents and associations of women due to a mechanism in her left arm that made her grow, increased her breast and thinning her waist, making her a teenager, a completely normal stage of change in girls real that some older failed on the wrist. The high expectations of sales, however, that Growing up Skipper, which also included a change of clothing from infant to juvenile, went on the market and continued there for two more years before not producing again, as reported in the article “Teen Idol: Growing Up With Growing-Up Skipper” written by Leslie Paris, included in the book The Barbie Chronicles: A Living Doll Turns Forty by the writer Yona Zeldis McDonough.

Punisher Shapeshifter Weapon

Launched on the market in 1990 by the US company ToyBiz, this toy lived up to the latest innovation of the era: shape changes in the superheroes. In its 2D version the transformation of The Punisher into a weapon was sensational; the problems started when moving to 3D. The action figure ended with an unfortunate design, because instead of completing its transformation ended with a rocket that came out of a compartment hidden in the chest that ended up being located right in his crotch. To complete the weapon came equipped with several darts that shot out when pressed and slightly slide the rocket backwards. Unfortunate coincidence? Careless design? So far it remains a mystery. The whole line of the random toy had to be removed from the stores after the rains of the angry American parents rained; what made it one of the most sought-after pieces among rarity collectors, as the specialized page Ultimate Comiccon tells in its article 20 Lame Superhero Toys No `90s Kid Actually Wanted.

Latin American Post | Isabel Pradilla S

Translated from “De escobas “voladoras” hasta una Barbie que convierte todo en oro, los juguetes más controversiales”