It’s the toy that “ruined Christmas” — at least according to Twitter. Play-Doh’s “2-piece extruder” used for dispensing “icing” has been described as, well, a little too phallic for comfort.
The Internet had a field day after thousands of kids across the country eagerly tore open their Play-Doh Sweet Shoppe Cake Mountain play sets, and much to their parent’s horror, revealed a rather questionably shaped accessory. We’re not just talking “oh from a certain angle I guess you could see that.” We’re talking “how could that have EVER passed for anything else?” Yeah, it’s that bad. (Or that good, depending on how you want to look at it.)
Reactions on Play-Doh’s official Facebook page ranged from outrage (though these have largely been deleted):
I dunno if anyone else follows Play-Doh on Facebook but you should cause they're doing some serious damage control pic.twitter.com/TooleS5PgE
To amused:
Stefanie Edwards Griffin I bought the kit for my daughter .. Honestly I cried laughing !! She is too young to even know what the tool resembles Well done design team you guys are hilarious
Rocky K My mom wants to know what number to call to get a bigger one shipped out.
And then there were others who really didn’t see what the fuss was all about:
Kimberley Heritage I bought this my daughter & genuinely didn’t notice – why would a child?! Some vulgar minds about!
While it’s a fair point that the kids probably have no idea what it looks like, something still doesn’t sit right with us about the idea of a three-year-old playing with a “toy” that looks like it could have been bought at the Romantic Depot. An icing dispenser? Really, Play-Doh? It’s surprising to think that no one across their design, management, or marketing teams questioned the shape before it hit shelves.
Now Hasbro is left doing some serious damage control by offering to exchange the toy for anyone who feels the 3+ age group is a little too young for that talk:
We have heard some consumer feedback about the extruder tool in the Play-Doh Cake Mountain playset and are in the process of updating all future Play-Doh products with a different tool. Should any consumer want a replacement extruder for this item, they can contact Hasbro’s Customer Service Department at 800-327-8264.
Would you be okay with your child playing with this toy? Tell us in the comments!
Image courtesy of Amazon