Adult Content Hidden Inside Popular Toy Goes Viral

A major toy manufacturer is under fire after one outraged parent realized an item marketed to children as young as 3 had inappropriate and sexual content printed on it. 

Zuru Mini Brands sells a miniature toy version of the popular Colleen Hoover romance novel “Without Merit,” which apparently includes actual lines of text that can be read by anyone who purchases it, per TikTok user Tam (@ basic_mom_moments). 

Tam said in the viral video, which now has over 5 million views, that some of the books she received were classics like “Moby Dick” and “Sherlock Holmes.” But she said her daughter was reading “Without Merit” and then allegedly told her, “Mommy, I can’t read this book anymore, it’s inappropriate.”

At first, Tam said she thought it was a silly yet harmless word such as “butt” or “dumb.” But when she took out the included miniature magnifying glass to look for herself, the last line of the first page of “Without Merit” said, “I was enjoying his hand on my boob.”

“My daughter is seven,” she said in the video, “and I had to have a kind of weird conversation with her about that, that I wasn’t really ready to have.”

@basic_mom_moments

I’m literally speechless. ???? Check your kids’ Mini Brands books, parents. I cannot believe what I just read in a toy for my 7-year-old. @ZURU @Target please explain this. #Parenting #MiniBrands #momlife #Target #fyp

♬ original sound – the_real_tamtam

The TikTok creator updated her followers with the response from MGA Entertainment in the comments, which she called “corporate garbage.”

A rep from the company responded by saying that the “ages three and up” label was for choking hazards, not content. She said the company “did admit” that there was “inappropriate content” that was “not OK for children.” Tam said the rep promised to pass the feedback on to internal team members and offered to send her child a free box of toys. “Not totally happy with this,” Tam noted, saying she’s happy the company responded but was frustrated it happened at all. 

The brand MGA Entertainment, best known for creating massively popular products such as Bratz dolls, Num Noms, Lalaloopsy, and Rainbow High, has been marketing items in its popular Make It Mini collection of everyday household items. Everything from kitchen appliances to food, shoes, toys, and more can be purchased in miniaturized versions from the “Miniverse.” These are sold in blind bags and are a limited release to encourage buyers to keep buying and collect them all.

On the distributor’s website, these items are labeled as a “Surprise Toy for Kids, Teens & Adults Ages 3+ by ZURU.”

Most commenters were outraged that Colleen Hoover books were included in the mix. But others noted that adults collected Mini Brands too, and claimed this title was for them. 

“It’s literally a toy for adults which is why it’s in the toy section but it overlaps with kids toys. It’s the parent’s responsibility to check for what they buy their kids. She’s so annoying,” one Redditor said of Tam. 

“She’d rather gripe in an online video than just monitor what her kid gets,” another person agreed. “Miniatures aren’t just for kids. They are for everyone.”