Amid the controversy surrounding U.S. drone practices, toy maker Maisto International’s model Predator drones have sold out on Amazon.com as reviewers joke about how the toys can help children hone their killing skills.
The $49.99 military-style toy jets have sold out, but were available for purchase on the site, which has seen an abundance of satirical reviews for the Predators. “This toy will give your son hours of fun and perhaps even inspire him to grow up and work in Washington so he too can play first-person-shooter games with real people!” one reviewer wrote.
President Barack Obama has made use of drones to kill what the government says are suspected terrorists, and has come under fire from members of both parties who believe the program could be doing more harm than good. Obama didn’t directly discuss drones in his State of the Union address last week; however, he said he will continue with a policy of “direct action” and aimed to make the anti-terrorism program more transparent.
Reviewers of the product on Amazon’s site appeared to be most concerned with the faceless aspect of the drone killings.
“Nothing teaches my child about how to murder enemy combatants silently and invisibly from the sky with no risk,” one review on Amazon begins. “Teaching our children to be familiar with a silent, faceless killing machine is the way to educate our children about the importance that is war.”