Turmoil in the Toybox is, "A shocking expose of the toy and cartoon industry. It reveals the hidden dangers found in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Barbie, Rainbow Brite, G.I. Joe, Smurfs, Dungeons and Dragons, Care Bears, ThunderCats, E.T., Cabbage Patch, to name a few."

Published in 1986 by Starburst Publishers, Turmoil in the Toybox is a bit dated - but if you grew up in the 80's enjoying the Smurfs and He-Man like I did, this book is a blast. In his early chapter "A Startling Discovery" Mr. Phillips describes the horror of discovering a Skeletor toy - "The first toy I saw was one called Skeletor, which was holding a ram's head staff in its hand. I immediately recognized the ram's head as an occult symbol; I decided to buy the toy. I went back to the house and opened the wrapping around the toy. Inside was a little comic book, which I read with astonishment. "How could any sane person sell this to a child?" I thought. It was "loaded," absolutely loaded with the occult from beginning to end."

Soon the Lord begins chatting with Mr. Phillips about the danger of these toys causing Mr. Phillips to purchase even more. A couple of boring and obvious chapters follow where we learn about how children learn and play before we dive into the nitty gritty in the beautifully insane chapter - Cute and Innocent? Concerning the Smurfs Mr. Phillips explains - "In one episode, Gargamel, the evil wizard, drew a pentagram on the floor and lit candles at each point. He then danced within the pentagram while chanting a spell. The pentagram is a five pointed star used in the practice of witchcraft. As Gargamel finished chanting the spell, a magical book opened across the room. A spirit left the book and entered Gargamel's body, giving him power to battle the Smurfs. What Gargamel did in that episode is what witches have done through the centuries. This is an actual witchcraft practice which millions of children watched." The poor Smurfs - they have been accused of Communism and Satanism! The Smurfs were indeed one of the most bizarre cartoons ever made.

Gummie Bears, My Little Pony, Care Bears, and Rainbow Brite also get there just do in the Cute and Innocent? chapter. Mr. Phillips has big time problems with any show containing rainbows! It seems rainbows are a New Age symbol used to signify, "their building of the 'Rainbow Bridge' between man and Lucifer who, they say, is the over-soul."

He-Man, a major concern of Mr. Phillips and the Lord, gets his own chapter complete with a handy glossary of He-Man terms. I loved He-Man as a child and can recall vividly the frightening, dark tone of the toon. Shit - Skeletor used to scare the hell out of me! BUT IS HE IN LEAGUE WITH SATAN!?! AHHHH! You decide.

In a chapter titled The Barbarization of our Children, Mr. Phillips describes a Guillotine toy that I would have loved to have owned. "Early editions of the guillotines included a cardboard figure that children could have fun decapitating. More recent editions have this conclusion: "And now you're all finished. Strap in a small toy soldier, turn the handle, and let the blade fall. See how the guillotine actually works." Mr. Phillips comments," Imagine parents allowing their children to play with such a thing. With this toy, there is always the possibility that one child may try to decapitate a sibling." !!

Mr. Phillips concludes, "Remember, the battle is the Lord's. With His help and guidance, we will defeat Satan, and prevent another turmoil in the toy box. Nice wrap up there Phil! Turmoil in the Toybox is a terrific mind boggling read. I love how these Christian and Family Value people delve into culture in order to benefit the society. They'll dissect violent and sexual content in Film and Television in order to report their findings without ever giving thought to the idea that maybe, just maybe, they are ENJOYING the perversity they take notes on.