With only about 1000 dolls actually manufactured, The Weinstein Company has requested that NECA Toys, the manufacturer of the officially licensed DJANGO UNCHAINED action figures, to stop production and pull the toys from shelves. TMZ is reporting that several advocacy groups have found the idea of action figures of slaves and slave-owners to be in poor taste. The Weinsteins issued a statement saying “We have tremendous respect for the audience and it was never our intent to offend anyone,” and that the toys were intended for those over 17.
Maybe I am one of the few who never thought DJANGO UNCHAINED would have a line of action figures to begin with, but I am also a person who would buy these for display, not for play. Almost all of Tarantino’s movies have had toys or figures released for movie collectors to buy. Regardless, I can understand why the concept of having these toys in existence would offend someone. A movie is one thing because it is a static creation that is being viewed. However, the idea of an action figure indicates it is designed to be played with and slavery is not exactly the kind of play setting you want kids to be involved in. I don’t think these toys were ever intended for children, but the message it sends is clear.
The line of toys consists of white characters Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), and Butch Pooch (James Remar) as well as slave characters Django (Jamie Foxx), Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), and Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson). So, if you want one of these before they disappear forever, as of this article’s posting Amazon.com still shows some in stock at the price of forty bucks while eBay already shows some going for as high as $300. Get ’em while they’re hot!
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