Parents have been asked to boycott a stationery range on sale in Ireland with messages encouraging girls to throw rocks at boys, and to burn down their "snobby neighbours'" houses.
The stationery, available in Eason's outlets, was described as "totally inappropriate" by the INTO and the National Parents' Council.
The stationery, which includes folders, pencil cases, sharpeners and erasers, contains images of goldfish in blenders, and depicts men as being either pigs or dogs. There are also illustrations of a sexual nature.
One image is of a small house with the caption "where I live". The picture beside it is of a big house with the caption "where my snobby neighbors live". The third picture in the sequence is of the bigger house on fire, with the caption "I don't like snobby people".
The stationery is made by US-based company David and Goliath Inc, with headquarters in Clearwater, Florida.
In a statement last night, a company spokeswoman said: "One of the coolest things about David and Goliath is the fact that many of the designs feature sayings that most are too afraid to say out loud for fear of being too blunt."
It added: "Are they offensive? Sometimes maybe just a little bit . . . people definitely have more of a twisted sense of humour than what has been deemed politically correct. Is there anything really wrong with not taking everything so seriously all the time?"
General manager of Eason's, Martin Black, said it was a question of individual perception of humour. He confirmed that he had received a number of complaints about the products.
"If we get comments or complaints from customers, we do examine it and in this case, we have already taken some of the items off the shelves," he said.
"We'll review it again and if there is a picture of a house burning, we'll take it off too. We would never wish to offend anyone. There is a good chance that the range will not be repeated," he said.
However, yesterday The Irish Times was able to purchase a David and Goliath folder which contained all of the offending images in the O'Connell Street branch of Eason's.
General secretary of the INTO, John Carr, told The Irish Times yesterday that the messages were "totally inappropriate and at variance with what teachers teach children".
He added: "Schools aim to foster mutual respect, non-violence and tolerance. This brand undermines what schools try to teach." Mr Carr called on parents not to buy the range and said that it was not acceptable to bring such items into school.
A spokeswoman for the ASTI said while it was difficult for teachers to police something like students' choice of stationery, parents should be aware of products which may not be age-appropriate, particularly for younger students.
Fionnuala Kilfeather, chief executive of the National Parents' Council - Primary, called on parents to exercise common sense. "Don't buy them."