Every now and again a retailer launches a product that clearly hasn't been thought through. They say that all press is good press, but sometimes companies regret their earlier choices and end up removing their product from the market. Whether it be accusations of racism, cultural appropriation, danger to customers, or something else entirely, the following products caused such a stir that the companies behind them were forced to pull them from the shelves.

Alfred Gilbert was something of a celebrity in 1950s America thanks to his popular range of educational toys. However, his company caused quite a stir in 1951 when it released the Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab, a science kit that allowed children to create nuclear reactions using radioactive chemicals. The kit came complete with several types of uranium, which is one of the ingredients in nuclear bombs. Unsurprisingly, safety concerns – it was known as "the world's most dangerous toy" – led to the toys being pulled from shelves. Although 5,000 had been sold by then.

After launching the Skipper doll in 1964, Mattel made the controversial decision to put Barbie's little sister through puberty a decade later. The 'Growing Up Skipper' doll grew breasts when her arm was rotated. The doll proved to be too racy for 1970s sensibilities, and was pulled from shelves in 1975. Mattel released an updated version in 2007: the 'Growing Up Glam' doll grew taller and developed breasts by turning a key on her back. The doll lasted a year before it was discontinued by Mattel.

Back in 1990 Disney launched a series of action figures to celebrate the release of the movie "Dick Tracy". Controversy surrounded one of these figures in particular; "Steve the Tramp"; described on the box as "a reeking piece of filth... dirty and scarred from a life on the streets." While Disney initially defended the figure, saying it was "not intended in any way to represent the homeless", they eventually succumbed to pressure from homeless charities, pulling the toy a week before Christmas.

Mattel launched the Cabbage Patch Kids Snacktime Kids in time for the 1996 Christmas season. The toys had one-way metal rollers behind their lips that allowed them to 'eat' plastic food which was pushed through to their backpack. However, the dolls turned out to be rather scary. Their battery-powered jaws would keep chewing until the food was gone, and this became a serious problem when children got their fingers and hair stuck in its mouth. After numerous complaints the toy was pulled in January 1997, resulting in Mattel's largest product recall to date.

Frito-Lay WOW! potato chips were released in 1998, with the promise of a fat-free snack. It introduced the WOW! chips across Lay's, Doritoes and Ruffles chips. The fat-free chips sold as much $347 million that year, which meant it was the best-selling product in the US at the time. However, the secret ingredient, olestra, turned out to have a lot of unfavourable side effects. Eating the chips caused diarrhoea, stomach cramps, flatulence and anal leakage. After these symptoms became known many retailers pulled the snack from their shelves, and sales figures halved by 2000. However, after rebranding as "Light" the chips remained in circulation until 2014. 

Abercrombie & Fitch caused an uproar by releasing this T-shirt in 2002. The shirt showed men with slanted eyes and cone-shaped hats, along with the words "Wong Brothers Laundry Service—Two Wongs Can Make It White." Following protests both online and outside of Abercrombie & Fitch stores, the company apologised and pulled the shirt. The company's customer services manager later said of the uproar: "Anyone who buys our clothes knows we don’t target any particular race. We pretty much make fun of everyone."

The much-anticipated Silent Hill: Homecoming video games was released in the US in September 2008. However, it never made it onto Japanese shelves, despite its creator Konami being a Japanese company. While no official reason was given for the decision, it's likely to be down to the graphic sexuality and level of violence featured in the game, including decapitations and torture. The game was also initially banned in Australia, but was later released after heavy censoring. 

Adidas caused a ruckus in June 2012 when images of the company's latest shoe were released. Far from being impressed with the $350 (£272) sneaker, many people compared the design to "slave shoes", thanks to its shackle feature. Prominent civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson said in a statement that the shoes were "offensive, appalling and insensitive", and hours later the sneakers, which had been due to go on sale in August 2012, were cancelled.

Victoria's Secret was forced to pull a whole product line in September 2012 after it sparked outrage online. The Go East collection was inspired by Asian heritage and told customers it would be "your ticket to an exotic adventure." The "Sexy Little Geisha" lingerie was the target for most of the furore. The ensemble came with a fan and chopsticks, modelled by South African Candice Swanepoel. After accusations of cultural appropriation, Victoria's Secret quietly removed the line from its website.

Comparisons between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Winnie the Pooh began in 2013, when an image of him with former US president Barack Obama was circulated online, claiming a resemblance to Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. The Chinese government didn't enjoy the joke, and started to censor Winnie the Pooh references on social media. This included 2018's Christopher Robin movie, which was banned. It was also reported in late 2018 that Shanghai Disneyland has had orders to remove all traces of the character, including two whole attractions.

High street stationery brand Paperchase saw its own controversy in August 2014, following its decision to stock an 'OCD' hand wash. The directions for use on the product's label told buyers to: "Open cap. Sanitize. Close cap. Open cap. Sanitize. Close cap. Make sure cap is firmly closed. Recheck cap. Are you sure it's closed?". After mental health charities voiced their concern that the product mocked those suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) the product was pulled from the company's stores. 

In August 2014 clothing brand Zara apologised for selling a children's T-shirt that many people said resembled uniforms worn by Jewish prisoners in concentration camps. The striped shirt came complete with a yellow star on the chest, which critics said was very similar to the Jewish Star of David that Jewish prisoners were forced to wear by the Nazis. Zara responded by stating that the 'sheriff' shirt was designed with "classic Western films" in mind, but nevertheless the offending shirts would be removed from sale. 

Urban Outfitters has had its fair share of controversies, as we'll see later. The first in our list occurred in September 2014, when the retailer put a one-of-a-kind "Vintage Kent State Sweatshirt" on sale. Critics argued it referenced the 1970 shooting at Kent State University, in which four students were killed by the National Guard during a Vietnam War Protest. Urban Outfitters removed the item and said the 'bullet holes' had been caused by wear and tear, and the 'blood' was discolouration.

Urban Outfitters put a controversial tapestry on sale in its stores in February 2015. Customers were quick to point out that the $69 wall hanging was very similar to the clothing gay men were forced to wear in Nazi concentration camps. The product was pulled from shelves after the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), headed by Holocaust survivor Abraham H. Foxman, wrote a letter to Urban Outfitters stating that "whether intentional or not," the tapestry was "eerily reminiscent" of Holocaust garb.

Clothing brand PacSun came under fire in May 2015 following its collaboration with A$AP Rocky. One of the rapper's T-shirt designs featured an upside-down American flag, which many people considered disrespectful, particularly given the upcoming Memorial Day holiday. After a highly-charged social media campaign, with many people, including actor James Woods, calling on others to '#BoycottPacSun', PacSun pulled the design from its stores just a few days later.

Urban Outfitters suffered another product fail in 2016 following its decision to stock Anatomicals' "Peachy Head" shampoo. The shampoo's name makes reference to Beachy Head, a notorious cliffside suicide spot in the UK. The product also came with the tagline "for suicidal hair". A social media storm followed, and despite Anatomicals co-founder Paul Marshall defending the product by saying it had been on sale for several years without any complaints, it was pulled from shelves in April 2016.

In March 2016 clothing brand Forever 21 was accused of selling a T-shirt that mocked sexual consent. The men's shirt read "Don’t Say Maybe If You Want To Say No," and led to angry customers sharing the image on Twitter. The company removed the shirt from its website, and issued a statement about the incident, saying: "With regards to the t-shirt in question, upon receiving feedback from our customers, we took immediate action to have it removed from our website."

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Disney caused a furore ahead of the December 2016 release of its animated film Moana. The company launched a range of merchandise in anticipation of the movie's release, including a costume based on the character Maui, played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The $44 (£34) costume consisted of a brown zip-up suit complete with tribal tattoos, which many people took offence to, with one user stating via Twitter that "Our Brown Skin/INK's not a costume". Disney released an apologetic statement and pulled the item from its stores and website.

Katy Perry's shoe collection came under fire in February 2019 when two of its designs were accused of blackface. The shoes in question, launched in the summer 2018 collection, were on sale in major retailers like Walmart and Dillard's. As a result of the furore, the shoes were withdrawn from the market, and Perry released a statement stating the shoes had been "envisioned as a nod to modern art and surrealism", and she was "saddened" by comparisons to "painful images reminiscent of blackface".

In February 2019 Gucci launched a now-infamous balaclava-style jumper that sparked outrage due to blackface accusations. The black jumper, priced at $890 (£688), had a cut-out mouth and large oversized red lips. After the product's image went viral on social media, with many users pointing out it was also Black History Month at the time, the jumper was pulled from Gucci's website. In response, the company announced it would be launching internal training to increase inclusivity and cultural awareness. 

Tween retailer Claire's had its own product headache in March 2019 after the FDA confirmed the presence of asbestos in three of its make-up products. Claire's maintained that there was no evidence of the products being unsafe, but said the products had been removed "out of an abundance of caution". When inhaled, asbestos can cause lung cancer and other potentially fatal diseases. In July this year, Claire's had to recall its JoJo Siwa Makeup Set after the product also tested positive for asbestos.

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UK supermarket Waitrose felt the wrath of social media critics in April 2019 following the release of its Easter confectionary line. One product in particular caused a stir: a trio of chocolate ducklings based on the The Ugly Duckling poem. People on social media pointed out that while the white duckling was named 'Fluffy', and the milk chocolate one was 'Crispy', the dark duckling was called 'Ugly'. Following complaints of racism, the British retailer pulled the product, later re-releasing it without names.

A regional dollar chain store One Dollar Zone came under fire in July 2019 after a photo of one of its products on sale in its New Jersey stores began circulating online. The "Feel Better Doll" was a black rag doll that came with instructions to "slam the doll" against a wall "whenever things don't go well". After being accused of racism, One Dollar Zone apologised and said the dolls also came in green and yellow. The company that manufactured the doll, Harvey Hutter Co., disconnected its phone and deleted its website in the fallout from the scandal.

Nike's plan to release a special-edition shoe celebrating the Fourth of July holiday in 2019 were thwarted when people criticised the company's use of the Betsy Ross Flag in the design. The early version of the American flag has since been used by white nationalists including the American Nazi Party. Critics of the use of the flag included NFL quarterback and Nike ambassador Colin Kaepernick. Nike cancelled the shoes' release, angering conservatives like Ted Cruz, who said on Twitter that Nike "only wants to sell sneakers to people who hate the American flag".

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