Mattel, the American producer of the action figures for the new Batman movie, has pulled the late Heath Ledger’s original “Joker” figurine from production, claiming the toy was too scary.
The move has left collectors scrambling to buy the limited edition original before supplies run out.
Mattel has hastily thrown together a friendlier version they can sell to children, movie and celebrity site, collider.com, said today.
Collider.com said Mattel was expected to sell a strange “hybrid” doll, based on the movie and an animated version of the notorious Batman villain.
There were speculations in the media at the time of Ledger’s death that the dark and twisted Joker character had stayed with the Australian actor long after the film’s wrap.
Batman: Dark Knight is scheduled for release in July this year.