Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Tesco's bizarre and offensive inflatable "g*y best friend"

39 replies

Flowerybitch · 27/09/2013 13:29

Tesco’s ‘bizarre’ and ‘offensive’ inflatable ‘g*y best friend’ doll causes storm one day after ‘psycho ward’ outfit removed..

What are are your views??

metro.co.uk/2013/09/27/tescos-bizarre-and-offensive-inflatable-gy-best-friend-doll-causes-storm-one-day-after-psycho-ward-outfit-removed-4124631/

OP posts:
YouTheCat · 27/09/2013 13:31

Tesco are stupid twats.

BuskersCat · 27/09/2013 13:31

I want to know why the word gay the a is starred out. It is hardly a swear word!!

EdithWeston · 27/09/2013 13:31

It's already been removed from sale.

Tesco claim it was put on their website be a third party (the manufacturer?). If that is true, Tesco really need to look at how they manage relationships with their suppliers and permissions to upload to their site.

BuskersCat · 27/09/2013 13:32

What are your views OP Hmm

chicaguapa · 27/09/2013 13:33

Tesco have a poor history of managing their suppliers, despite having gone to great pains to convince the consumer otherwise.

That's my view.

kinkyfuckery · 27/09/2013 13:34

The cynic in me thinks it's a publicity stunt after seeing the publicity (even bad publicity is advertising, no?) that Asda are getting after their blunder this week.

babybarrister · 27/09/2013 13:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BuskersCat · 27/09/2013 13:41

It is modelled on 'the gay best friend' from sex in the city. I take onus to the fact that they think Gay is an expletive and the age range is 3-4!

YouTheCat · 27/09/2013 13:42

It is pointless, yes. Why couldn't they market this cheap plastic tat as an inflatable best friend? No need whatsoever to add g*y and plus the stupid fucking asterisk like gay is a swear word or something.

I stand by my previous comment that Tesco are stupid twats. I believe this to be true for many, many reasons and would rather eat roadkill than ever shop there.

MardyBra · 27/09/2013 13:42

clickable link

Original poster
Flowerybitch · 27/09/2013 13:45

My brother is G*y, and I think if I showed him this he would laugh.. "blow up man with a pink top and bright blue shorts" My brother would not be seen dead in anything like this.. I think its wrong to stereo-type gay people like this! I agree with KINKYFUCKERY maybe a publicity stunt too?

OP posts:
OHforDUCKScake · 27/09/2013 13:45

Whats the problem?

Teapigging · 27/09/2013 13:52

Oh, I don't know, maybe the problem is an entire segment of the world's population being reduced to a dopey accessory who will 'give you fashion advice, tell you if your bum looks big, and b*tch about anyone not wearing Jimmy Choos [spelled wrong into the bargain]'...?

Also, how nice to be told by Tesco that your sexuality is 'in' this season.

Teapigging · 27/09/2013 13:55

Not to mention the usual associations of the inflatable doll.

God knows who even the thickest manufacturers thought would buy it, though. The website bumf says 3-4 year olds, but then name checks SATC, Will and Grace and Jimmy Choo..?

ubik · 27/09/2013 13:56

I always wanted a gay son. Do they have a gay son?

YouTheCat · 27/09/2013 13:58

I'm not sure. But I feel like Tesco are telling me I have somehow deprived my kids because they didn't have a 'g*y best friend' when they were 4.

The shame.

MardyBra · 27/09/2013 14:02

No self-respecting gay man would wear pointy plastic shoes, surely.

ubik · 27/09/2013 14:12

The gay best friend is indeed the ultimate pre school fashion accessory.

YouTheCat · 27/09/2013 14:14

Damn, I have maimed my kids for life.

PatPig · 27/09/2013 14:23

These stories are all bollocks.

The text was imported automatically from play.com

webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Bh90-B2MyxEJ:www.play.com/Gadgets/Gadgets/-/3403/2666/-/15110882/Inflatable-Gay-Best-Friend/Product.html

As you can see, same text, if you look under 'Key Features', that's the second part of the prose, and it cuts off at 'Hen par....'

Nobody at Tesco had a thing to do with it.

They weren't even selling it.

It's an innocuous £5 doll that some one on £6/hour working for play.com wrote a silly description for, and it got AUTOMATICALLY imported into Tesco's database.

You can still buy it here if you like.

www.freefalluk.com/inflatable-gay-best-friend-p-1574.html

This stuff was online for a year or more, and nobody raised an eyebrow.

Original poster
Flowerybitch · 27/09/2013 14:29

But why "GAY best friend", could it not just have been "best friend"?

OP posts:
ubik · 27/09/2013 14:33

I know, Flowerybitch. I'd have just stuck with tinky winky.

YouTheCat · 27/09/2013 14:38

Maybe Tesco should work on their online security a bit then if this can happen?

They are still twats.

PatPig · 27/09/2013 14:39

Play.com are to blame for this. Not Tesco.

There is all kinds of dodgy stuff on Amazon, but nobody gets upset about that.

YouTheCat · 27/09/2013 14:42

They do actually - 'How to be a paedophile'? Hmm

Tesco are to blame. Their website shouldn't allow this kind of thing to happen. How secure are people's details on there? It begs many questions.