Django Unchained Slave Toys Banned From eBay as Prices Spike Following Public Outcry

Online auction bigwig yanks listings for the controversial action figures after civil-rights groups protested the toy line

By Alexis L. Loinaz Jan 25, 2013 12:39 PMTags
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The Django Unchained controversy train just keeps on chugging along.

After getting slammed by everyone from Spike Lee to civil-rights groups, the embattled Quentin Tarantino film now has a new foe: eBay. The online auction bigwig has banned the sale of action figures based on the slave-themed spaghetti Western after its studio discontinued the toy line in the wake of public furor, E! News has confirmed.

Since being pulled off shelves, the dolls have reportedly seen a massive price hike on eBay, with some going for as much as $2,000 for the six-doll set.

Listings for the action figures were yanked because they violated the site's offensive-materials policy, which boots products that "promote or glorify hatred, violence, racial, sexual or religious intolerance, or promote organizations with such views."

This also covers listings that "graphically portray graphic violence or victims of violence, unless they have substantial social, artistic or political value."

The Jamie Foxx–headlined film has taken some pretty hard knocks since it was released last month: Lee blasted it in a seething tweet that trashed Tarantino's cheeky take on a sensitive subject matter, and the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network mounted an aggressive protest against the toy line and called for a national boycott.

It remains to be seen how the backlash will ultimately affect the movie at next month's Academy Awards, where it's up for five statuettes including Best Picture.