KidletNation

Since about 2002 I’ve been a huge fan of the urban vinyl craze (see Kidrobot for examples) and all the figures, art and toys that it’s spawned. At times I’ve taken those items and gifted them to kids as birthdays and other occasions presented themselves. Lately I’ve noticed that one has to be more and more careful when purchasing vinyl and plush items as all-too-often what seems funny at the checkout seems entirely inappropriate at home as its being wrapped. I’ve collected a few examples below. Enjoy.

The Daily What recently featured this disturbing bambi plush figure.

I have this Gloomy Bear plush figure on my desk as I type this. I still find it hilarious, but the bloody lips and rather sharp plastic claws make it a risky purchase for kids.

The greatest uglydoll of them all, the octopus with chest hair apparently sheds that chest hair and so had to be taken away from the kid I sent it to. Unfortunate as it was a hilarious doll… but seems to have been discontinued as I don’t see it on the uglydoll site.

Anyway, you get the picture. With the trend toward innocent toys for adults its sometimes tempting to try and transfer them on to children which in some cases can be pretty risky. Not to mention the fact that many of these are made in China, and as a result the messaging regarding age groups is not always as clear as it might be. Case in point the mustached labbit I recently bought for a friend’s baby. It wasn’t clear whether it was to be kept away from children younger than 3, or whether that applied to the plastic bag it was purchased in.