TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Parents thinking about buying this "toddler-friendly" electric furry cactus that dances and raps in Polish might want to think twice.
The toymaker claims that the dancing cactus can help stimulate imagination and creativity in children, while another online baby product site describes it as a good device for toddlers.
However, when a Polish mother living in Taichung recently visited a Carrefour location with her baby, she discovered that the cactus was actually rapping some pretty explicit lyrics. This woman told her friend Ela Sobczak, another Polish citizen living in Taipei, about the incident, and Sobczak notified Taiwan News.
The mother said the lyrics repeatedly mentioned cocaine and attempted suicide (English translation of the lyrics). "Cocaine and suicide attempt repeated over and over again. It is really shocking," she said.
The mother from Taichung recognized the song, which was produced by Polish rapper Cypis. She made a video of the rapping cactus and shared it to a Polish online forum.
She said that the 32-cm tall toy is also available at other Carrefour locations in Taipei and on online shopping platforms, including Shopee, Ruten, Rakuten, and some baby product websites. The toy is also available overseas on Amazon.
Sobczak added, "the song itself is definitely inappropriate to play in front of children."
The demo video of the dancing cactus toy (YouTube video)
Music video of the Polish music artist Cypis (YouTube video)
