This isn't the first time the film has come up against controversy. Director Spike Lee publicly denounced it, tweeting that "American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It Was A Holocaust. My Ancestors Are Slaves. Stolen From Africa. I Will Honor Them." And though Django Unchained has been popular among African-American audiences, even those fans of the film are objecting to the action figures. A spokesperson for one civil rights group called the toys "a slap in the face of our ancestors." And he enjoyed Tarantino's film so much that he saw it a second time.
The National Action Network is organizing boycott of the action figures. "Selling this doll is highly offensive to our ancestors and the African-American community," said the group's president. "We don't want other individuals to utilize them for their entertainment, to make a mockery of slavery." But a boycott will probably have little effect beyond a symbolic one: the individual figures—packaged with "authentic weapons and accessories" (whips? chains?)— are already sold out on Amazon. The high-priced set, however, is still available if you've got some extra money lying around that you were just going to burn anyway. Failing that, you could always hold out for a Zero Dark Thirty doll (authentic waterboard and cling wrap included).

