Toys "R" Us is receiving backlash for selling the new toy, Kidffiti, that teaches them the art of graffiti with stencils and spray cans.
"Graffiti is just the first act of vandalism. It oftentimes leads to drug abuse and drug sales," New York Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder told the NY Daily News.
Goldfeder is working to get the toy store to stop selling the Kidffiti.
So far, he has written a letter to Toys "R" Us CEO Antonie Urcelay, who directed his comments to the toy's manufacturer, Jakks. He also tried working with New York City's Consumer Affairs department, which says it cannot pull products unless they are illegal, Daily News reported.
Goldfeder, along with otherleaders, also announced yesterday at Hamilton Beach his efforts to ban the toy, according to Time Warner Cable News 1.
The toy comes with spray chalk and five different stencils to use on driveways and sidewalks. Toys "R" Us sells the product for $1.98.
The potential ban is upsetting street artists.
"Street art doesn't get the respect that it should," a popular Brooklyn graffiti artist who goes by his tag name, Vers, told Daily News. He currently supports himself by selling legal artwork with aerosol as his medium.
Graffiti has gained popularity in recent years - it's been featured in several advertisements and in museums.
"They're not marketing this as art, they're not marketing this as stencils. They're marketing it as graffiti," Goldfeder told amNewYork.
