Fresh off the heels of controversy over a textbook publisher referring to slavery as “immigration” and slaves as “workers,” comes another case of racial insensitivity. Ida Lockett, of Sacramento, California, said her 5-year-old son recently received a toy Playmobil Pirate Ship as a gift that came complete with a figurine resembling an African-American slave and instructions to place it in a neck shackle, reports The Washington Post: The toy’s instruction manual shows a dark-skinned doll wearing no shoes, ripped pants and a tattered yellow shirt and directs the assembler to pop the silver piece around its neck. The ship appears to include a dungeon. “It’s definitely racist,” Lockett told the CBS affiliate. “It told my son to put a slave cuff around the black character’s neck, and then to play with the toy.” Lockett said the set was a gift from the boy’s aunt, who purchased it from Toys R Us. The set retails for $89.99 but the store is selling it for $62.99.
In a statement to the Washington Post, Playmobil said the toy was “intended to portray life on a 17th-century pirate ship.” “If you look at the box, you can see that the pirate figure is clearly a crew member on the pirate ship and not a captive,” according to the statement. “The figure was meant to represent a pirate who was a former slave in a historical context. It was not our intention to offend anyone in anyway.” But parents aren’t buying it. Neither is the NAACP — Sacramento NAACP President Stephen Webb told CBS Sacramento he wants the toy banned.This cannot be accepted, and it needs to be pulled off the shelf,” he told the outlet. What do you think about the toy manufacturer’s claim they did not intend to offend anyone? SOURCE: The Washington Post, CBS | Revisionism Is Real: Texas Textbooks Lie About Slavery [VIDEO] Airbus Introduces Airline Seating That Stacks Passengers On Top Of Each Other…But We See Something Else
Don’t Miss Our Hottest Stories! Get The NewsOne Flip App for iPhone: Flip, Skip — Or Send Us a Tip! 55 Photos To Make You Miss The Obamas 1. Barack gives daughter Malia a kiss 2. Michelle and Barack tell the kids a story 3. Michelle and Barack Kiss 4. Michelle and Barack 5. First Family Portrait 8. Michelle and Barack host a State Dinner 9. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama 10. Fun In The Sun 11. The Obamas on Air Force One 13. The First Family in London 14. First Lady Michelle Obama with daughters Malia Obama and Sasha Obama 16. Barack & Sasha 17. Sasha and Malia Obama at the 2016 State Dinner 21. Obama & Sasha 22. Malia Obama, the First Daughter 23. Barack Obama and his daughter Malia Obama 25. A Family Affair 26. Flashback To The Old Days 29. The Obamas Family Portrait 30. Historic First Family 31. Ice Cream Treat 33. Playing In The Oval Office 34. Always Giving Back
35. A Christmas Story 37. Obama Loves Team USA & His Wife 38. Malia and Sasha Obama 39. Michelle Plays on a Bike 40. Obama Loves Team USA, His Wife & Malia 43. The Sister Selfie 45. Giving Back On MLK Day 46. Obamas Give Back To The Community 47. Always Supporting Small Businesses 49. Laughs & Turkeys 50. Growing Up In The White House 51. Christmas With The Obamas 52. Malia & Obama 53. 50th Anniversary Of March On Selma 54. Christmas Tree LightingOne of the unsung strengths of the Lego games is that their reductive approach to plotting allows them to skip or gloss over the weaker elements of their inspiration. In the case of Pirates of the Caribbean, that's several hours' worth of storytelling bloat - and at times, TT Games punctures it perfectly. In particular, the ludicrous convolutions of third film At World's End are beautifully skewered in one single scene where the characters rapidly exchange places until half are on one side and half on the other.
Who needs two hours of cross and double-cross when a single thirty-second sequence can cover similar ground without the audience looking at their watches - and offer a knowing chuckle into the bargain? Just as the Star Wars prequels were shorn of midichlorians, younglings and dialogue about sand being rough, and transformed into lean, exciting, set-piece-driven action films, the Pirates movies suddenly become much more appealing in Lego form. Sure, there are perhaps too many stages where you're fighting aboard a ship at night and/or during a storm, but you can blame the apparently light-phobic helmsman Gore Verbinski for that. The parodies, as ever, are on the money, and the naturally dark tone of the Pirates films was clearly more fun for the developer to subvert. Here, the dramatic climax of Dead Man's Chest sees Jack Sparrow happily embrace his imminent demise, stepping into the mouth of the Kraken not wielding a sword, but a toothbrush with a generous squirt of Aquafresh.
As with the films, Jack is the undoubted star. That walk - half stagger, half swagger - is even more of a hoot in miniature. He constantly looks on the verge of toppling over, leaning backwards then forwards as he capers along. In fact, Lego Jack is an idealised version of the character - a little more akin to the dashing anti-hero Bruckheimer and co. imagined before Johnny Depp decided his portrayal needed a little more kohl, Kilo Kai and Keith Richards. He might not have the walk of a swashbuckler, but his swordfighting skills are much more impressive than in the films. Michael Bolton would surely approve. Finishing flourishes see him revert to type, distracting his enemy by pointing one way before whacking them with an empty rum bottle, or stepping back and lobbing a banana skin under their feet. Best of all is when he picks up a guitar; while most characters will strum a gentle acoustic melody, Jack scratches out a scuzzy rock riff. Try to move while playing and - brilliantly - he adopts Chuck Berry's famous duckwalk.