Anyone who was once a child or has been around a child during the holidays knows that toy packages are pure evil straight from hell. Now, according to a letter currently on the front page of Amazon.com, they’ve decided to dedicate themselves to removing this scourge from your lives.
toys
Melissa & Doug's Sky High Customer Service
By 10.11.08
The Melissa & Doug toy company helped Tracey’s daughter pick up the pieces after she accidentally crashed her month-old block plane into the ground, breaking off the metal pin that held the wheels together. Tracey emailed Melissa & Doug to warn them that the broken pin could potentially cause a choking hazard. She quickly heard back from Chris, who told her that she could either receive a replacement toy or pick out a new one. Just in case something wasn’t in stock, he said, Tracey should pick out two toys…
Toys"R"Us: You Are Too Young For A Grandparent's Discount
By 9.13.08
“It’s discriminatory,” Peters said. “How do you put an age on a grandparent or a mother or a father, for that matter?”
Morning Deals
By 9.3.08
- Amazon: 37 new coupon codes for September 2008
- Google: Get Chrome for free, Google’s new super-minimal browser (still in beta, read review at Lifehacker)
- Apple: Seven refurbished Apple Aluminum iMac Core 2 Duo Desktops from $949 each + free shipping
Highlights From Dealhack
- Newegg: Nikon Coolpix P60 8.1MP Camera $150 Shipped
- Amazon: Save Extra $20 off Kellogg’s, Keebler & other Grocery Products
- 1-800 Contacts: Save $20 to $80 + Bonus $5 off Contact Lenses with Coupon
Highlights From Bargainist
- Toys “R” Us: BOGO 50% off all video games up to $19.99
- Proctor & Gamble: Free Tide TotalCare sample
- BuyCostumes.com: Sale: Up to 60% off
Highlights From Buxr
- Amazon.com: Get three DVDs for $10 when you add all three to your Shopping Cart
- Golden Gadgets: 2 Pack of 9 LED Aluminum Pocket water resistant Flashlight for $3.99 + Shipping ($2.02)
- Newegg.com: A-DATA 16GB Flash Drive WHITE for $24.99 after $15 rebate!
Mattel's Toy Blood Pressure Cuff's Paint Was About 5% Lead
By 8.29.08
Just how much lead was in that toy blood pressure cuff Mattel were so reluctant to recall back in February? The one they said “me federal regulations and international consumer product safety standards?” Well, a reader’s scientist friend working in lab tested it on the equipment there. According to his results, the amount of lead in the paint was 4-5% lead by weight. “For reference,” he writes, “U.S. EPA HUD guidelines set the action limit for paint at 0.5% lead by weight. Any level over 0.5% is considered to be contaminated…Lead paint used on houses 50 years ago had lead content of 2-15%.”
Fisher-Price Walkie-Talkie Picks Up Trucker Talk; Now Tot Wants Pot And Strippers
By 8.8.08
A mom in West Virginia says her 3-year-old’s Diego walkie-talkie, which is supposed to have a range of 20 feet, picked up some blue talk from truckers who may have been 275 miles away. “They said we should go smoke some weed, and were talking about being in a strip bar, some really explicit things,” the mother told the Asssociated Press.
House, Senate Pass Bill That Increases CPSC Budget, Bans Lead In Toys
By 8.1.08
New legislation banning lead and (pending further study) six types of phthalates (chemicals suspected of causing heath problems) from children’s products has passed the Senate and now moves on to President Bush. In addition to banning lead and other chemicals, the bill will require independent testing of children’s products before they can enter the marketplace — a practice many consumers assumed was standard until they found out that Thomas the Tank Engine was covered in lead.
These Toy Horses Are Also Educational
By 7.29.08
Ali writes, “I was at the Borders in Elk Grove, CA with my cousin when I noticed these toys in the section with iPod accessories and various other objects. The funny thing is, all the other packages behind it were exactly the same.” Now you can learn about nature, and maybe pick up some new sexual slang, while you play horse farm!
Hey, Guess What Bully Sticks Are Made Of?
By 7.22.08
Dried bull penises! Bully Sticks are a popular dog treat, supposedly healthier for dogs than dumb old penis-free rawhide, but if you check the ingredients label on a Bully Stick you’ll often just find the phrase “Meat By-product.”
Aquadots, The Infamous "GHB-Laced Toys," Are Back With A New Name, "Pixos"!
By 7.18.08
Reader Maya noticed that those GHB-laced toys (distributed in North America by Spin Master) that were recalled last year are back, and they’ve got a brand new name. Pixos!
1 Million Little Tikes Toy Cellphones Recalled
By 5.29.08
If you’ve got a kid and you don’t want it to choke to death– make sure its not playing with the Little Tikes Chit ‘N Chat Toy Cell Phone. The CPSC is recalling about a million of these toys because there’s a piece that can break off and pose a choking hazard.
Mattel Losing Money As Manufacturing Costs Rise
By 4.21.08
Sales of Barbie fell 12 percent in the U.S. as the 49-year- old doll faced competition from Hannah Montana and Ganz’s Webkinz. Mattel, which recalled more than 21 million Chinese-made products in 2007, expects Chinese manufacturing costs to rise further. The yuan has climbed 10 percent against the dollar over the past 12 months, and inflation in China is near an 11-year high.
Toys "R" Us Carries Lower Back Tattoo Stickers Perfect For Your Trampy Kid
By 3.27.08
Got a trampy little kid that isn’t quite ready to get inked? No problem. Toys “R” Us has lower-back tattoo stickers for little miss thing.
Senate Votes For Safer Products, Approves Consumer Product Safety Commission Overhaul
By 3.8.08
The Senate finally voted last week to send the ailing Consumer Product Safety Commission desperately needed funds, staff, and powers. The overdue reform bill passed with bipartisan support on a 79-13 vote.
Toys "R" Us Announces New Safety Guidelines
By 2.19.08
Just got this email from Toys ‘R’ Us in my inbox and thought you’d be interested. I’m normally pretty skeptical about corporate promises like this, but if they implement these changes I’m going to be pretty impressed.
Members Of Congress Implore Mattel To "Do The Right Thing," Recall Lead-Tainted Toy Blood-Pressure Cuff
By 2.2.08
56 Members of Congress want to know why Mattel CEO Robert Eckert refuses to issue a nationwide recall for a toy blood-pressure cuff that is contaminated with lead. The affected blood-pressure cuff, sold as part of the Fisher-Price Medical Kit, was recalled exclusively in Illinois after Mattel received a complaint from State Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Legislators want Eckert to stand by a pledge made to reassure a jittery public before the holiday buying season that Mattel would ‘earn back our trust with deeds, not just with words.’
Toy Maker Reluctantly Agrees To Recall Leadly "Jammin Jenna" Dolls
By 1.24.08
A toy-maker who refused to issue a recall for its lead-tainted toys has reversed its position. TY made some “Jammin Jenna” dolls with that were found to have more lead than 600 parts per million Illinois state limit. In response to recall requests, TY said it didn’t have to because they said federal law supersedes state law. However, the state AG and federal CPSC responded that states are allowed to adopt more restrictive laws in the absence of federal regulation. TY will pull the Jammin Jena dolls and replace their leadly shiny red vinyl shoes with cloth ones.
