A Kent, Wash. family plans to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission after hearing a profanity-laced conversation between truck drivers over a pair of Disney Princess Royal Walkie-Talkies purchased for their nine-year-old child.
“We picked up some things that she shouldn’t be hearing, or any child should be hearing,” Jennifer Childress told Fox affiliate KCPQ-TV, adding that the truckers’ conversation included racial slurs and crude language.
According to a sticker placed on the back of the Disney walkie-talkies, the toys broadcast on a single channel, 27.145 Mhz, which sits close on the radio spectrum to the north-south freeway trucker’s channel at 27.165 MHz. The Childress family reportedly lives near Interstate 5, a major north-south trucking route on the west coast, making interference a strong possibility.
A West Virginia mother had a similar experience in 2008 when her three-year-old son’s Fisher-Price walkie-talkie picked up several truck drivers discussing strip clubs and use of illegal substances.
A Fisher-Price spokesperson told news media at the time of the incident that a limited number of operating frequencies are available for radio-type walkie-talkies, and they can occasionally pick up transmissions from other devices. The toy was discontinued by exclusive retailer Wal-Mart shortly after the incident.
