On the surface, the story of GoldieBlox’s Beastie Boys-skewering toy commercial was a heartwarming one. Independent company takes a misogynistic song by since-reformed hip hop legends and repurposes it as girl-power anthem. Everyone is happy!

Except: well-intentioned though it may be, GoldieBlox is still a commercial, for-profit company. And late Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, who died at age 47 last year, stated in his will that the group’s music should never be used in commercials.

Now, after some legal back-and-forth between the two parties, GoldieBlox has decided to pull “Girls” from the spot. The company also wrote an open letter to the Beastie Boys. Full text below:

Dear Adam and Mike,








Debbie + Team GoldieBlox