As a child of the ’80s raised by a pair of reformed smokers, I never had candy cigarettes. They weren’t common when I was growing up, and even if they had been, I wouldn’t have been allowed to have them. You may be surprised to learn that they still exist. Until recently, you could buy them at a retro old-timey soda fountain in St. Paul, Minnesota. Until Big Government swooped in and told the owner that the candy cigs had to go, because they’re illegal. [More]
City Government Busts Old-Timey Soda Fountain For Selling Old-Timey Candy Cigarettes
By December 27, 2012
Why Is A Toy Store Promoting An M-Rated Video Game?
By June 15, 2011
Toys ‘R’ Us sells video games. A lot of games are decidedly toys for grown-ups, not for kids. One of these is the long-anticipated Duke Nukem Forever, which is promoted front and center in the store’s advertising circular this week. Timely marketing, sure. But Omar asks: is it appropriate to promote this item so heavily at a store that devotes most of its floor space to items for children?
[More]
Has Toys 'R' Us Forgotten That Its Customers Are Children?
By October 21, 2010
Alexander wonders: if Toys ‘R’ Us is a business that caters to children, why aren’t their policies very child-friendly? If fickle children receive duplicate gifts or things they just don’t want, why won’t the chain take them back? He shared a recent experience along with his rant. [More]
Toddlers And Spray Bottles Full Of Bleach Are An Irresistible Combination
By August 2, 2010
Know what toddlers love? Spray bottles full of bleach. A new study shows that despite the fact that injuries from household cleaning products have decreaed by almost half since 1990 — spray bottle injuries are remaining steady. The most common product to injure kids under 6? Bleach. [More]
Redesigned Hot Dog Breaks Apart When Eaten
By May 25, 2010
Just three months after the American Academy of Pediatrics put out a call for a redesigned hot dog that would be safer for small children to eat, Eugene D. Gagliardi, Jr. — the food designer who invented Steak-umms and popcorn chicken — has come forward with a solution. His patented hot dog has eight slits that open during cooking, which cause it to break up into smaller pieces, potentially reducing the likelihood that a child could choke on it. [More]
Tic Tacs Or Tobacco? Study Says Camel Orbs Look Too Sweet
By April 19, 2010
When is a tiny, mint-flavored tablet that dissolves in the mouth not a breath mint? When it’s a Camel Orb “dissolvable tobacco” pellet, that’s when. And that has health advocates — who worry that children may mistake the nicotine pills for candy — smoking mad. [More]
A TV On A Dresser Can Crush Your Kid To Death
By February 2, 2010
It probably hasn’t occurred to you that each year there are nearly 26,000 people treated in emergency rooms for injuries sustained by tipping furniture and TVs. It certainly hadn’t occurred to us. Our sister-publication, Consumer Reports, put together a video demonstration showing how your kid can get crushed climbing up a dresser towards your TV. [More]
Red Robin Cuts Crayons, Forces You To Talk To Kids
By October 6, 2009
Don’t look now, but some restaurants seem to be cutting back on that staple of the family dining experience: crayons and paper for kids. NPR’s Planet Money blog reports that the Red Robin chain has gone from four crayons per customer to two. How long before they drop them completely, forcing parents to — gasp — hold conversations with their children instead of letting them color images of popular menu items while mom and dad knock down their pre-meal cocktails.
Parental Control Software Co. Sells What Kids Say On The Internet
By October 3, 2009
If you’re a company like Echometrix that sells parental control software, you’re sitting on a whole bunch of data about what teens and children say and do on the Internet. What to do with that information? Use it to make your software better? Well, of course. But why not sell aggregate data to marketers, too?
Top 10 Recalled Children's Products To Avoid Buying Secondhand
By August 7, 2009
It’s garage sale season, so our esteemed sister publication, Consumer Reports, has put together a list of 10 recalled children’s products to avoid buying secondhand. This one, in particular, has a defect that should become obvious upon glancing at the accompanying photo.
Continental Offers Free Flights, Frequent-Flyer Status To Misrouted Child's Family
By June 16, 2009
Continental Airlines has made a much more generous offer to the family whose ten-year-old daughter was accidentally flown to Newark instead of Cleveland while flying as an unaccompanied minor. Paterfamilias and blogger Jonathan Kamens wrote that a Continental rep “assured [him] again that the airline takes what happened very seriously.” The details of Continental’s offer, inside.
Continental Puts 10-Year-Old Child On The Wrong Plane
By June 15, 2009
Sure, airlines misroute luggage all the time. But how about misrouting a ten-year-old girl to the wrong state?
Consumer Groups To Obama: Please Put Someone With A Brain In Charge Of The CPSC
By January 30, 2009
There’s been a lot of talk lately about how the upcoming implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). The law requires that all children’s products be tested for lead and has caused a major freak out amongst librarians (who don’t really want to test their books for lead, or ban children from the library) and thrift stores (who can’t afford to test used toys for lead). Apparently, according to consumer groups that support the bill, the CPSC is supposed to be monitoring this situation and adding exceptions as needed, but has been ignoring the issue. Now those groups are asking President Obama for a change of leadership within the CPSC. Read their letter inside.
Seven-Year-Old Writes Perfect Complaint Letter, Gets Park Fixed
By January 24, 2009
Louisiana seven-year-old Sydney Hotard fixed her broken playground by writing a well-crafted letter to her Parish President. Hotard was concerned that the plastic slide needed to be “more slippery” and that a nearby exposed electrical panel might be “dangerus.” Upon receiving the letter, Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet was so charmed that he ordered municipal workers to immediately fix the playground.
Toys R Us Cracks Down On "Death Crib" Makers
By September 5, 2008
One of the main features that a crib should have is “does not accidentally kill the baby,” so Toys R Us has decided to crack down on the manufacturers of the cribs that it sells, says the Chicago Tribune.
More Children Are Drowning In Pools And Spas, Says The CPSC
By May 22, 2008
Here’s some bleak news, more children are drowning in pools and spas lately, says the CPSC. The increase in deaths is probably due to a increase in the number of pools and spas in the U.S., but Consumer Reports warns that some pools are more dangerous than others.
Mom Upset Over "Death Threat" Elmo
By February 22, 2008
Little James here loves Elmo. In fact, his entire house is filled with every Elmo toy you could possibly imagine and even a few you can’t. One of these beloved Elmos is a model that you can program with your computer to say your kids name. Recently, James’ mother replaced the batteries in “Elmo Knows Your Name” and is now convinced that the doll is homicidal.
