Transformer 'Spastic' cancelled in UK

[Paul Agnew]

It's understood that concern would definitely rise from such a name, but we're dealing with an alien transforming robot toy. It shouldn't be that offensive unless the consumer wants to make it such a big fuss. We're humans, and technically the only ones who should feel insulted are robots themselves. Give it some thought.

Now, if they released a G.I. Joe figure called 'Spastic' I'd be worried.

[GoktimusPrime]

Your comment would be fine if Transformers were a fiction franchise aimed at adults, like say Sin City which has a character called the Yellow Bastard. But Transformers is first and foremost a children's toy franchise, and the Transformer's name is part of how HasTak markets its toy products at consumers. Thus keep in mind that:

+ Parents buy toys for children.

+ Disabled kids play with toys too. I've also met some TF collectors who have disabilities where they probably wouldn't take too kindly to seeing the word "Spastic" on a toy.

+ Again, this is a children's toy. I mean, you could take the K-9 or Wolfang mould and repaint it into a female Transformer character and call her "Bitch" and it would technically not be in an offensive context, or you could have a Transformer character who's excellent with social rapport and call it "Intercourse" -- but it just wouldn't be worth doing it considering the controversy and upset that it would cause. All you need to do is put in a bit of effort to find an alternative name. I just punched "Spastic" into thesaurus.com and one synonym it gave me was "Queer." Sure, you COULD call a Transformer Queer and justify it with an eccentric personality -- but you'd most likely upset a lot of people in the process.

Remember that young children in the more immature stages of cognitive development tend to see things as black and white. Thus they would have been taught that words like bitch, queer, spastic etc. as being taboo. It's not until around the age of 15 that the brain achieves sufficient cognitive maturation where the average individual and discern between the appropriate uses of these words according to context -- and by that age they're not going to be offended by characters with taboo words in their names (like the Yellow Bastard - I don't know much about Sin City, but perhaps he was born out of wedlock ).

[Sky Shadow]

It looks like Movie Jolt, Cybertron Smokescreen and Shattered Glass Jazz and Richochet only just managed to avoid being the next 'Spastic': http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...pe-yellow.html

[Hursticon]

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...pe-yellow.html

WTF!?!

[5FDP]

It looks like Movie Jolt, Cybertron Smokescreen and Shattered Glass Jazz and Richochet only just managed to avoid being the next 'Spastic': http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...pe-yellow.html

Not touching that one at all.

[1AZRAEL1]

It looks like Movie Jolt, Cybertron Smokescreen and Shattered Glass Jazz and Richochet only just managed to avoid being the next 'Spastic': http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...pe-yellow.html

Didn't know it had a colour, or deserve one.

Whoever came up with that name is a complete idiot.

[SharkyMcShark]

Well it made me laugh

[1AZRAEL1]

Well it made me laugh

So did I, I laughed at how dumb it was

[dirge]

Wouldn't have taken much intelligence to simply call it "rapeseed". Sigh.