The Parents Television Council (PTC) this week condemned the new range of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation toys released last month.

Talon News reported the lobby group, which was established to offer "solutions to restore television to its roots as an independent and socially responsible entertainment medium", Tuesday sent an email message to supporters to draw their attention to the new toy line. The email said the products were not suitable for children "because the CSI franchise often displays graphic images, including close-ups of corpses with gunshot wounds and other bloody injuries."

The range of toys includes the CSI Forensic Facial Reconstruction Kit, which allows children to sculpt a face on a model skull with clay, the Forensics Lab, including a microscope and a fingerprint kit and the DNA Laboratory. According to Amazon.com, the Reconstruction Kit is suitable for children aged 8 and over, while the forensics and DNA labs are intended for those aged 10 and over.

But the PTC said none of the toys were suitable for children that young because of their association with a television show that deals with adult themes. "The PTC doesn't think the recreation of blood, guts and gore should be under a child's Christmas tree this year. This so-called 'toy' is a blatant attempt to market CSI and its adult-oriented content directly to children."

The pro-family organisation, which ranked CSI the fifth-worst show on television last season, also took issue with this week's 100th episode. Entitled "Ch-Ch-Changes", the instalment revolved around the murder of a transsexual. The PTC said in their email that the "fringe world of sex changes and transgenders" was not suitable for "family viewing".

The original Talon News article can be found at this page.

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