Rowdy Rocker

The craziest thing happened to me a couple of years back. Picture it, a week before Easter two years ago. I needed to get oil in my car. Across the street was a Walmart. I thought it would be a good use of time to walk with my baby over to it and do some Easter shopping.

Those beginning years of each kid are fun and new. This particular day I was shopping with my baby, Shane. I cruised the Easter aisles grabbing the things I needed to make the magic happen. Then, I went to the toy aisle. And that is when everything changed. This unique shopping experience will be one of the strangest I have as of late, ever had.

Baby Shane and I were cruising down the lines of toys as I looked and thought about each kid. Our boy’s love of cars and trucks was unlike we had ever experienced before. No Barbies for this one. And let me tell ya. That was my go-to. I loved to flip their hair. But anyway, I digress.

This boy loved all the stereotypical boy things without Douglas and me ever teaching him. We wanted our kids to gravitate towards whatever they liked. If he wanted to flip doll hair like his papa, it would be fine with me. Ha!

As we rolled down, looking at all the toy trucks and cars I stopped in absolute amazement. In front of me was a big flashy truck with a cowboy playing the guitar with his hand out of the window… flipping me off! Yep, shooting that bird as high as his middle finger would go. I stood in disbelief. What the hell am I looking at? This is a toy. Created for my son’s age - all the way up to tween! Why is this on the toy shelf? Who allowed it to be? Why the hell is it flipping me off???

Well as I inspected this toy, the size of an adult man’s shoe - flashing lights, and a motorized arm that strokes a guitar which was built on the outside of the truck. When the button on the top is pressed, the arm begins to stroke the guitar and he sings a loud country song. HOWEVER - someone adjusted his arm to another setting that swung his arm out of the window while flipping his middle finger and singing a country song. I sound 87 years old but it was so VULGAR! I guess I look at things differently now that I have three kids.

We try so hard to protect them from the inevitable outside world, when unbeknownst to us, we bring things like this on our own! How many more are there? There are always more.

Yes, I did laugh at first. There was strategic thought put into building this toy. It was absolutely made to have this secret second setting.

If you are reading this, you likely know my personality. Y’all. After the humor passed, and it did, I was left pissed. Who the hell would sign off on such a toy to be mass-produced by Walmart of all places? Well, y'all know I am loud. So I called the news. The first and only one I called sounded super confused (rightfully so) and hung up on me.

OK, now what do I do? THIS FUCKING TOY HAS NO BUSINESS BEING ON THIS SHELF. What the hell can I do?

Ah ha! Instagram! My og’ers may remember this. I took to my stories like I do daily and played the video for all to see while tagging the toy manufacturer and Walmart.

I showed the precision of how it works and the ease of any kid to adjust it to that setting. I tagged them on multiple posts. And then I waited.

Ya’ll I shit you not. Within 15 minutes someone from that toy company responded to me. They apologized profusely and I said that was not enough.

I said that the toy had no business being on the shelves in the first place. That toy needs to be discontinued YESTERDAY. They assured me that it would be.

I said that if it wasn’t discontinued by the end of the day I was going to get an attorney.

You guys, within two hours they pulled that toy nationwide. Across the country! Gone! I even tried to buy one at another store so I could take it to the news and the attendant said it was no longer in their system.

It is amazing to me that anyone if anyone had to find that toy, it was me. There have been so many instances, time and time again where the Universe works in a wild and unexplainable way sometimes.

There was a reason I found that toy. I believe it. But I am still left with questions like, who designed that toy? Who signed off on the making of that toy? Was there any accountability of it being discontinued?

OHHH a big detail I missed! This was a COLLABORATION with the FORD Collection Series of trucks of all things!!

So, even more questions like… did Ford know about this? And did they sign off on it too?

For anyone interested, the toy was called “Rowdy Rocker.”

And for the next two months, this toy brand watched every single story I posted. I know it was because they were scared. And that is enough for me. That, and having that damn thing off those shelves.

So, long story made long….

One person can make a big difference. Think about how big Walmart is. Think about how big Ford is.

If you see something, say something. We can help change this world. Yea, this may be just a tacky toy…
But action creates change. Be the Change.