Someone recently spotted that a 2014 episode of the U.K. children’s show “Fireman Sam” shows a character treading on a page of the Quran, and Mattel just pulled the episode in response.
The page flashes for a moment on-screen as a pile of papers the characters slips on flutter through the air. According to a statement Mattel posted, the pages were supposed to be illegible and Mattel has severed ties with the animation studio that let the page of religious text slip in.
“It’s just an unfortunate incident where someone from the production company thought they were just putting in random text,” a Mattel spokesperson told the BBC. “We have no reason to believe it was done maliciously.”
People were so upset that the BBC (which doesn’t even air the show) received over 1,000 complaints about the episode. The Mattel statement apologized for any “distress or offense” the episode may have caused.
[BBC]
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Jane Fonda Champions Climate Action for Every Generation
- Biden’s Campaign Is In Trouble. Will the Turnaround Plan Work?
- Why We're Spending So Much Money Now
- The Financial Influencers Women Actually Want to Listen To
- Breaker Sunny Choi Is Heading to Paris
- Why TV Can’t Stop Making Silly Shows About Lady Journalists
- The Case for Wearing Shoes in the House
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Julia Zorthian at julia.zorthian@time.com