Ever been tempted to forcibly restrain your toddler? Well, Brazil has designed a colourful range of Control Toys, which includes a high chair with wrist and ankle shackles, a "happy" cage, and the aforementioned straitjacket.
But before you burst a gasket, know that the toys are in fact part of a very elaborate marketing ploy. According to an article in the Daily Mail, the toys were manufactured and put on the shelves for the sole purpose of promoting the country's version of Super Nanny TV show.
"The inspiration for the campaign came from TV show itself," said copy writer Luis Felipe Figueiredo, who helped devise the toys with advertising agency Publicis. "By watching it, we realized that most of those kids seemed like little devils. They were completely out of control as if they were possessed."
We get the joke; there are better means to discipline children that don't involve Fifty Shades props. Watch Super Nanny, and learn. Watch the clip below as unsuspecting parents get 'punked' by the toys.
As ad campaigns go, is Control Toys over the top or an effective marketing tool to drive home an important message?
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