Gross-Out Toys Headline Clergyman's Annual 'Warped' List

Gross-Out Toys Headline Clergyman's Annual 'Warped' List

HARTFORD, Conn. (November 28, 1998 08:45 a.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) -- The doll "Crush Me Phil" foams at the mouth and begs to be kicked. His toy cousin, "Typhoid Mary" comes with shackles and a straitjacket.

Both made the annual list of top 10 "warped" playthings, compiled by the Rev. Christopher L. Rose.

"What does a toy like that teach a child?" asked Rose, the rector of Grace Episcopal Church. "Manufacturers have responsibility for things they put on the shelf."

The worst offender was "Macho Man Randy Savage," a plush wrestler doll that taunts "Is that all you got?" or "Hey, you're bashin' in my gut!" when it is hit in the chest or its limbs are twisted, Rose said.

Steven Spielberg was singled out for criticism. His DreamWorks company puts out some toys that scream and vibrate when pummeled, with names like "Taunt Me Igor" "Gastro Intestinal Igor" and "Bad Gas Baby Human." The company's "Dr. Vic's Electron Chair" includes a figure that can be zapped in an electric chair.

Rose, who began criticizing toys when he started shopping for his son, Matthew, said that while parents bear some responsibility for the toys they buy their children, manufacturers should also be held accountable.

Rose's "warped" list also included several toys by Todd McFarlane, the creator of the Spawn comic books. The minister called McFarlane "one of the most irresponsible toy makers out there" -- and pointed to "The Grave-Yard" which lets kids play with a crypt and the corpse that comes with it.

Female action figures also made the list. Gywnn, an exotic dancer aimed at children age 8 and older, has a revealing costume that includes a bra that snaps off easily, revealing anatomically correct breasts.

Rose also bemoaned the return of an old nemesis: realistic toy guns. One made by Tootsie Toy and sold by Wal-Mart is a toy shotgun that works like a pump-action rifle, makes a loud noise and smokes when fired.

"You could hold up a store with this gun," Rose told The Hartford Courant in Saturday's editions.