Inflatable Gay Best Friend Doll withdrawn by Tesco

[sex]

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The description of the product, which had censored the word gay from its product title, said: "If SEX in the City and Will & Grace taught us anything, it's that g*y best friends are in this season.

"Although not much can be said for his own attire, your Inflatable g*y Best Friend is ready to give you fashion advice, tell you if your bum looks big and ***** about everyone who doesn't wear Jimmy Choo's[SIC]."

An official statement from the supermarket read: "This product was uploaded to the website by a third party seller but was removed from sale immediately because we found it offensive.

"The webpage should have been removed at that time and we are looking into why it is still visible two months later.

"We have very clear guidelines for third party sellers who list items on our website, and are very sorry that on this occasion they weren't followed."



A Tesco spokesperson said the product had never been sold to a customer, adding that it cannot be bought or searched through their website.

"This took place about two months ago, and the only reason the product can be seen is due to a historical url link, meaning it can be accessed only through clicking a direct link that was copied when the product was available."

When asked if Tesco had received any complaints over the inflatable figure, the spokesperson said: "We've had a lot of activity on Twitter, I can't say exactly but we found that product offensive, that's why we took it down."

The inflatable was described as having a "Gary Lineker-esque face" and advertised as an "ideal gift" for hen nights, Christmas and birthdays.

A similar product called "Instant Inflatable Gay Best Friend" could also be found on the website of online retailer Amazon.

Gay rights charity Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill said: "This is like trying to sell ice to Eskimos.

"We can't imagine why any woman would choose to buy an inflatable gay best friend when there are two million of the real thing already available in modern Britain and most of them are much better looking than Tesco's pale imitation."

The figure is the second product Tesco has withdrawn from sale in as many days, after the supermarket said it was "really sorry for any offence caused" by a bright orange adult costume called "Psycho Ward" with the word "Committed" printed on the back.

It also said it would be making a private donation to mental health charity Mind.

Asda also said it was to make a £25,000 donation to the charity following its apology for selling a "mental patient fancy dress costume".

The Halloween costume, designed to look like a blood-splattered straitjacket with ragged edges, was on sale for £20 through the supermarket's clothing arm George.

pmsl at its like trying to sell ice to Eskimos
its a novelty really dont see why they removed it

[Catchy]

lmao that is hilarious

[Succubus]

I've always wanted a gay best friend, we coulda gone shopping and all that together why did they remove this ugh. pmsl.

[karter]

oh god this is hilarious

[Eoin247]

How is that offensive? Political correctness has gone crazy these days

[zombies]

i will buy the justin beever doll instead.

[Jordan]

I read that in the description it mentioned it was suitable for 6-7 year olds

[Yawn]

i think its unacceptable :Innocent:

the whole "gay best friend" thing and this bit:

ready to give you fashion advice, tell you if your bum looks big and ***** about everyone who doesn't wear Jimmy Choo's

if i was a gay guy i would be like ......wat..... like idk, just labelling ppl and wanting to be someones friend for the sole reason that they r gay. when ppl say that irl i just cringe "omg i wish i had a gay friend we could go shopping and be best friends :-)))))" its just like ....no shut up. being gay doesnt define someone as a person.

[oli]

not offensive but still doesn't belong in tescos

[RyRy]

It's funny but it's something you'd find in Blackpool on the dodgy shops, not in Tesco lol