Join us as we take a look at some of the most head-scratching (and disturbing) movie-based toys to reach the market, and marvel at how they ever became approved.

Movie merchandising, especially the merchandising of toys, is a Big business. According to the Hollywood Reporter, movie merchandising was responsible for $262.9 billion worth of sales in 2016 (globally). Of that total, 45% were a result of toy and other entertainment-related transactions. That’s about $118 billion worth of merchandise, versus movie ticket sales which only totaled an estimated $38.6 billion. From these numbers, it is easy to see why film studios put such an emphasis on the merchandising capabilities of their films, especially the big-budget franchises.

However, just because studios and toy manufacturers have profited immensely from the merchandising of movies doesn’t necessarily mean that those efforts have been quality or well thought out. For the most part, those responsible for making toys for...