Topps, a USA based company, has come under severe scrutiny on Twitter after the release of a racist trading sticker card about the South Korean boy band BTS.
Topps trading sticker card series called 'Garbage Pail Kids' depicts different sports and pop culture characters suffering due to unpleasant conditions. The card series was first made in 1985 as a parody of the virtuous 'Cabbage Patch Kids'.
The 2021 edition of Garbage Pail Kids is titled the 'Shammy award collection' based on the recent GRAMMY Awards. The 12-sticker card series include cards about various celebrities who made headlines at the GRAMMYs.
PC: Twitter- @Topps
The card about Harry Styles features Harry being scared by his feather boa.
PC: Twitter- @Topps
The card about Taylor Swift, named 'Tree Swift', is a comical portrayal of her Folklore performance.
PC: Twitter- @Topps
However, the card based on BTS shows all the band members being hit by the Grammy Awards in a whac-a-mole kind of game. All members have stitches and bandages on their faces.
PC: Twitter- @staetix
People across the globe are enraged at this insensitive and violent portrayal of BTS. BTS Army as well as other people are highly scrutinising Topps for glorifying hate against Asians. Moreover, the cards have been revealed on the same day as Atlanta shootings where 8 people were killed in three massage parlours, majority of them being Asian women.
Twitter is flooded with tweets criticising Topps for supporting hate crime. People are demanding removal of the tweet and a public apology by Topps. Some are also encouraging BTS to take legal action against the company.
Take a look at the public reaction against Topps:
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