A caricature of K-pop group BTS being beaten up physically by the Grammys went viral on social media. Fans of the popular group did not take the cartoon well; especially since it came after the pop-group faced defeat at the Grammys. They lost the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance award to Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande.
Garbage Pail Kids are known for releasing satirical stickers featuring people/artists who have suffered unfortunate losses. Post the Grammy awards, the Topps Company released a collection of Grammy-themed stickers by Garbage Pail Kids called the ‘Shammy Awards’ collection. It featured other artists like Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and other Grammy nominees and winners.
Amidst reports of incidents of hate crime against Asian-Americans, the post gathered much flak on social media. Soon after publishing the image of the trading card, the Topps company apologised. The sticker card featured members of the K-pop group in whack-a-mole holes with bruised faces, a Grammy trophy over their heads.
"We hear and understand our consumers who are upset about the portrayal of BTS in our GPK Shammy Awards product and we apologise for including it. We have removed the BTS sticker card from the set, we have not printed any of the sticker card, and it will not be available,” the company tweeted.
“Can you explain why you chose to illustrate BTS in this way? The other artists you’ve included have no depiction of violence in their illustrations. Why did this get green-lit?” a fan tweeted.
“It's 2021 and you think animating VIOLENCE ON ASIAN ARTISTS is humour ?? This is not art. This is bullying. This is disrespect. This is supporting hate against Asians. We want an explanation and an immediate apology. GO APOLOGISE #BTS #RacismIsNotComedy,” tweeted another fan.
“You somehow thought 7 Asian men being beaten by a trophy when there is such surge in hate crimes against Asian people was a “funny” exaggeration to create a comic effect ? Lets talk. #RacismIsNotComedy” read another tweet.
