After thousands signed a petition to ban Breaking Bad action figures from being sold at Toys “R” Us, actor Bryan Cranston responded with a protest of his own:

Cranston, who plays a chemistry-teacher-turned-drug-lord in AMC’s crime drama, tweeted his mock outrage to his 1.58 million followers Monday afternoon.

His incendiary act of defiance comes in response to a petition started by a Florida mom calling for “Breaking Bad” toys to be pulled from the shelves of the “family focused” store.

“Toys ‘R’ Us is well known around the world for their vast selection of toys for children of all ages,” writes Susan Myers of Fort Myers, Fla. on the petition page.

“However their decision to sell a Breaking Bad doll, complete with a detachable sack of cash and a bag of meth, alongside children’s toys is a dangerous deviation from their family friendly values.”

The petition, which climbed past 7,000 signatures as of Tuesday morning, was less popular than Cranston’s tweet, which boasts more than 23,000 retweets and 24,000 favourites.

A search for the action figures on the Toys “R” Us website, however, only returns unrelated items – not the six-inch figurines that prompted the outcry.

And Florida news outlet WFTV reported Tuesday morning that several stores in the Tampa area had “voluntarily removed” the toys from their shelves.

The controversial toys – which Toys “R” Us said were sold in limited amounts only in the adult section of the store – can still be purchased from places like Barnes and Noble and Wal-Mart’s website.