Parents Were Concerned About This Game About Defusing Bombs, So Stores Pulled It

Remember the good old days of Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, Monopoly, or even Checkers? Well move over Hasbro and Parker Brothers, because there's a new game in town, one that is causing an awful lot of trouble. Cut the Wire, by YULU, simulates the act of diffusing a bomb complete with sound affects and flashing lights. Not surprisingly, parents voiced their concerns and now retailers are taking action. This game about defusing bombs has been pulled of store shelves.

Due to parental backlash, both Target and Walmart have pulled the toy, according to The Hill.

Cut the Wire is a race against time game where you must (you guessed it) cut the wires to diffuse the toy bomb before it "detonates." If you cut wrong, the toy shakes, vibrates, and makes sound to simulate an explosion, the New York Post explained. Even the packaging is meant to look like flames from a detonation. The toy itself is supposed to look like dynamite held together with wires and a green countdown clock on the front.

The game maker, YULU, intended for kids to feel like heroes, according to the New York Post. The game was reportedly discontinued in October.

"We’re very sorry for any concern the game may have caused and, therefore, we are no longer shipping new product in the market in North America," Jochem van Rijn, president of YULU said in a statement to The New York Times.

Clearly, many people were upset about the game. But not everyone agreed that it was an issue.

"Confess. I don't see why this particular toy spun up the outrage machine. It has kids playing at *defusing* bombs, not making them," wrote one Twitter user.

For many, this hits a little to close to home in a world that has been ripe with examples of domestic terrorism from mass shootings to bomb threats. And so the idea of encouraging kids to do anything with a bomb — even though it's only meant to be a game — seems like a bad idea and is something that kids really don't need to be exposed to any more than they already are as a result of playing other violent games.

The toy caused a major incident in Florida when a deputy at the Sheriff's office mailed the game to a lieutenant causing panic and the evacuation of the building, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Even though it was intended as a prank, the sender resigned shortly after the story published. He was with the force for 35 years.

At time of publication, the game was still available on Amazon by third party sellers (and for a premium), as well as on ebay. It is still unclear if the company plans to continue selling the toy outside of the United States, according to the New York Post. YULU did not immediately respond to Romper's request for comment.

The game is clearly controversial, but there are plenty of other games that your kids can play with instead. Regardless of your feelings about the game, there's always another toy upon which you can focus.