Christina Wilson was getting her 4-year-old son up from a nap and bringing him in to listen to a compact disc his grandparents had given him for Christmas when her husband stopped her — he thought he heard something inappropriate.
Then Wilson listened to the "Kids Favorites" CD out of her son Caiden's earshot and heard the profanity.
"It was a shock," she said.
Wilson said that on Tuesday she contacted the Wal-Mart store in South Bend where her in-laws had bought the CD to let them know about the lyrics. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. spokeswoman Melissa Hill said the company had already started pulling the CDs from its shelves nationwide on Monday after a supplier notified it about a problem with the CD.
"When we learned of a CD that could appeal to children included songs with profanity, we took immediate action to begin removing the product from our store shelves," Hill said. "We are working with our supplier to investigate this matter further."
She did not immediately know how many CDs were being pulled from stores nationwide. She said customers who bought the CD can return it to any Wal-Mart for a refund.
The CD cover shows four smiling young children surrounded by balloons looking up at the camera. On the back it reads: "Your kids will love these versions of today's biggest hits, reinterpreted especially for them." The CD contains versions of some well-known songs, including "Pump It," originally recorded by the Black Eyed Peas, "Ugly," originally recorded by Bubba Sparxxx and ""Stickwitu," originally recorded by The Pussycat Dolls.
Wilson said she assumed the children pictured on the CD would be singing, but the voices on the recording belong to adults. At least two of the songs contain profanities and others aren't suitable for children, she said.
"I don't think they are children-appropriate even if they were edited because of what they're singing about, just the way they referred to women and things," she said.
Wilson said although her son never listened to the CD, the incident will make her more vigilant.
"We never had to preview his CDs before, but we probably will from now on," she said.
