Child receives PlayStation 4 for Christmas, but finds box has block of wood with vulgar drawing inside

The piece of wood appears to have been cut into the shape of a console, probably as a way of tricking shops into thinking the box had the PS4 inside

Gamers test the new PlayStation TV consoles at the E3 event in Los Angeles (AFP)

A child was given a PlayStation 4 for Christmas, only to find that inside the box was a piece of wood with a penis-shaped image carved into it.

Nine-year-old Scott Lundy received the console on Christmas Day, and declared the gift to be the “best present ever”. But after opening the box, he found that the actual console had instead been swapped for a piece of wood shaped like the console, according to Boston’s Fox 25 in the US.

Carved into the piece of wood was a picture of genitalia and a message that the box had been sent “From cock and balls with love”.

The Lundy family bought the box legitimately and appear to be the victim of a scam that led to the console being put on shelves.

The family told Scott that the console had been created by a rogue elf. But the incident has made him question his belief in Santa, according to a Facebook post by Scott’s step-mother Kristin Lundy.

Some online have suggested that the console was probably returned to the shop, with a block of wood to weigh it down and allow the previous owner to take the PlayStation that was once inside.

After returning the box and the fake console to the shop where it was bought, the family was given a $100 gift card and an additional game, along with a console to replace the fake one.

"We never like to disappoint our guests and are thankful for our store team's quick response to make things right," said a spokesperson for the shop.