Hasbro unleashes 'Spastic' Transformer
Cunning stunticons toy won't be sold in UK, unsurprisingly
Kiddies toy outfit Hasbro has pulled off a bit of a branding blinder with the release of its "Spastic with Stunticons" Transformer, which apparently forms part of its Power Core Combiners 2011 Wave 2 range.
Transformer fan site Seibertron.com contacted Hasbro when it discovered that the word spastic "has different meanings depending on your regional location".
The company replied:
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention and for the opportunity to respond. The TRANSFORMERS brand intended no offense by use of the name "SPASTIC" for one of its products which has not and will not be available via traditional retail channels in Europe, including the UK. Thank you once again for notifying us about your concern. As a marketer of children’s products, input from parents, families and fans regarding their experiences with our brands is extremely important to us. Our goal is to have all families who enjoy our brands feel good about their purchases and experiences
Seibertron.com notes that Hasbro doesn't mention whether its Spastic will be available in the US, although we gather the term isn't as much of a no-no Stateside as it is in the UK. ®
COMMENTS
I can just see
Megatron ordering him to go lick the autobots windows TO DEAAATH!
What happens?
When you pull the arms and legs off, does it transform into a FLID?
RE: Wait wat?
This is not political correctness gone mad.
Spastic became a particular derogatory term in UK schools a few years back, to the point that the Spastic society charity renamed themselves "Scope".
Can you see Hasbro marketing the Transformer RETARD, or "Short bus edition" in the US?
It's true
That "spastic", "spazz" and variants thereof aren't seen as being as offensive in the US as here. Witness the outcry here over the Colours In Motion wheelchair model called the Spazz. In the US there's no big deal over it. The Spazz-G is the next version up but has the unfortunate blurb "Have you been dreaming of that unique custom wheelchair that would not cost you an arm and a leg?"
That said, this would surely raise a laugh from some of my less politically correct friends and be a good choice of Christmas gift for them.
Hmmm...
Whenever I hear the word 'spastic' or 'spazz', I always think of The Young Ones. No not Cliff and Hank!
Viv : I can't get in the fridge!
Rik : Why? What are you, a spazzy?
Viv : No there just happens to be an atom bomb in front of the door!
