Getting Crap Past the Radar/Toys

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Examples of Getting Crap Past the Radar in Toys include:

  • There was a toy in the late 1980s that consisted of plastic rings with fighter jets on them. It, as well as the cartoon series it spawned, was entitled Ring Raiders. One can just imagine the dialogue that occurred at Matchbox R&D:

Executive: So, um, we need a new toy line or something.
Developer: How about a series of disembodied pair of legs that have a parrot perched on the pelvis and an eyepatch on the left arse cheek? We could call them Butt Pirates.
Executive: Maybe. Any other ideas?
Developer: How about Anal Invaders? I can't think of what they'd be, but the name's pretty good, right?
Executive: (nods approvingly)
Developer: OH! How about a set of plastic rings with fighter jets on them? We could call them Ring Raiders.
Executive: Perfect! And we can make it into a cartoon series somehow!
Developer: For fuck's sake, Gary, stop agreeing with me. I'm trying to lose my job before Mattel buys us out.
Executive: So am I.

  • Jeepers Media spotlights toys that fall under this trope. Some say they're Innocent Innuendo, but I mean, really.
  • Mattel's Cock Ring Earring Magic Ken doll didn't remain on store shelves for very long. No idea why.
  • Some of the earlier outfits made specifically for Barbie dolls included lingerie. This is actually most noticeable by the fact that some of said lingerie resemble evening gowns. And yes, what makes them lingerie are the fact that Barbie is either supposed to wear them under her fancier dresses or sleep in them.
  • A Revoltech model of Toy Story's Woody has a particular swappable head that has been exploited in various ways. It seems that Revoltech figurines have interchangeable parts, which account for some of the riskier gallery entries.
  • One of the early Harry Potter movie tie-in toys was a Nimbus 2000 replica aimed at children in the 8-12 age bracket. This battery-operated gizmo had sound effects and vibration. Somehow, nobody seems to have noticed what they were making until after it was already on store shelves.
  • Two words: vibrating pens. This troper had one when they were a kid, it was about an inch thick, and when turned on, the vibrating motion caused a spiraling motion when used to write. Now that I look back, that was so wrong.
  • Topps' "Wacky Packages" stickers were aimed at child consumers, and had strict limits on the kinds of humor that could be included (there wasn't so much as a fart joke in any of the sticker series). However, the artist managed to sneak a rather ... suggestive image onto the lower-middle of this sticker.
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