We can probably all agree that there haven’t been enough tainted-toy stories this year, so the Wall Street Journal is reporting that tests on about 1,200 toys by consumer and health organizations have revealed that about a third contain not just lead but “other potentially harmful chemicals, including mercury, cadmium and arsenic.” Oh, they must be talking about the new Bratz Heavy Metal dolls, R’senic and Mercurie.
toys
By 12.5.07
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You can enter your kids’ toys here and find out if they’ve been recalled for toxins. [HealthyToys.org]
Recalls Are A Headache For Toy Drive Organizers
By 12.3.07
Toy drive organizers are recruiting extra volunteers to help them “throw away” recalled toys, says USAToday.
By 12.3.07
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An amusing animation depicting the CPSC’s epic failures through song and dance, brought to you by Consumers Union, makers of Consumer Reports. Unfortunately, neither the Chinese Poison Train nor Snively Whiplash made an appearance. [NotInMyCart]
Man Arrested For Smashing "Dangerous" "Toy Lamp" Outside Walmart
By 12.3.07
Based on an advocacy group’s “10 Most Dangerous Toys” list, an Arkansas man became convinced that a Dora the Explorer lamp sold at Walmart posed an imminent electrical shock threat to any children for whom which it was bought, so he conducted his own personal recall…
Consumer Testing Spurs Toy Recalls
By 12.2.07
The Times brings us the story of vigilant consumers who successfully drove regulatory agencies to yank dangerous toys from store shelves. We have argued, along with the CPSC, that consumer testing is an utter waste of time, but consumers who are willing to bring their suspicious toys to a professional lab are able to have a surprising impact.
California Sues Toy Companies Over Lead
By 11.20.07
This week, California’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against 20 companies implicated in the various lead-tainted toy fiascos of 2007. The lawsuit “alleges that the companies violated the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986… because they didn’t notify customers of toys in the marketplace that contained high concentrations of lead.” The federal government doesn’t require such labeling, but California does.
Congresswoman Calls For Mattel To Resume Manufacturing In The US
By 11.20.07
Mattel used to manufacture toys in the U.S., specifically in Western New York, where it still has offices. Now Rep. Louise Slaughter is calling for Mattel to repair its reputation by opening a plant in her district.
Slaughter, D-Fairport, made the suggestion to Robert A. Eckert, chairman and chief executive officer of Mattel — Fisher-Price’s parent company — in a Nov. 12 phone call.
Toys R Us Advertising Date Rape Drug Laced Aquadots As A "Door Buster"
By 11.16.07
We’ve been getting several complaints today about Toys R Us’ “Door Buster” newspaper ad. They’re still advertising the GHB-laced Aquadots, despite the recall. (Right next to some ominous-looking Thomas & Friends toys, we might add.)
Toys R Us Tries To Reassure You After Year Of Recalls
By 11.16.07
Toys R Us has written a reassuring letter to its customers outlining its toy safety policies and threatening to discontinue selling products from any company that ignores them. Since Toys R Us still sells Mattel toys and Thomas & Friends wooden train sets, it’s hard to imagine a company that wouldn’t make the cut.
Most Popular Toys Of 2007
By 11.16.07
Are you buying gifts for kids this year? Let us save you the trouble of asking them what they want: for the 5th year in a row, Barbie has emerged at the top of the list of toys most desired by little girls. For boys, the top item was Transformers. (Hey! Why not a Barbie Transformer? That would be awesome.) In a development that we imagine caught toy executives totally off guard, neither group of kids placed “toys made with lead, GHB, or intestine magnets” anywhere on their lists.
This Chick-Fil-A Toy Is Not At All Depressing
By 11.15.07
I got Riley a kid’s meal at Chick-fil-A yesterday. It had the obligatory “prize/toy” enclosed. This one was lamer than usual. It was a roughly 2″ X 2″ cube that had questions on each side. The intent, I believe, is to spur conversation during a family meal. Everyone takes a turn rolling the “die” and answering a question.
What To Do With A Recalled Toy
By 11.14.07
In the best scenario, you’ll never make it out of the store with a recalled toy—if you manage to find one still on the shelves, retailers (at least the big ones) will likely catch it at check out because the UPC code will have been flagged. But for those times when you do end up with something that has to go back to the Island of (Really) Misfit Toys, here are some things to consider to reduce problems on your end.
The 10 Worst Toys For 2007
By 11.14.07
Boston-based World Against Toys Causing Harm Inc., or W.A.T.C.H., has announced its top-10 list of the worst toys you can buy kids this Christmas. This is a rather pointless year for a list like this, considering the massive expansion of the Unsafe Toy Industry; in fact, the first item on their list was recalled back in October for lead paint. Still, there are some fun discoveries on the list, like “Sticky Stones,” small piles of easy-to-eat magnets, and the “Spider Man 3 New Goblin Sword,” because its “spring-loaded blade expands to more than 3 feet long, creating the potential for facial injuries.” If they could just combine the Goblin Sword with the Oozinator, we’d have a Dateline special on our hands.
Recalled Toys Featured In Walmart's Holiday Catalog
By 11.13.07
One of the unintended consequences of so many toy recalls is that holiday catalogs, printed far in advance, are now full of recalled toys.
Make Your Own Toy Kitchen
By 11.9.07
It’s your kid—you should get to decide what kinds of choking and lead poisoning hazards make up its playthings. One woman clearly didn’t need any Fisher-Price plastic toy kitchen ruining her white-on-white aesthetic, so she made her own entirely out of found corrugated cardboard, contact paper, and a few household items. And if you don’t feel you have the skills to replicate it by looking at the photographs, then she’ll sell you a copy of the plans for $7.
Mattel Announces Recall Of 155,000 Toys
By 11.6.07
Today Mattel announced a recall of 155,000 Mexican-made toys being sold in countries throughout Europe and the United States. There’s no lead contamination this time around; the recall was announced “due to concerns that small pieces could detach from the toys and cause children to choke.” The product is the Laugh & Learn Learning Kitchen Toy, part of the Fisher-Price range.
Amazon Pulls Fisher-Price Medical Kit After CR Lead Report
By 11.6.07
Mike Antonucci from the Mercury News tells us that Amazon.com has pulled the lead-tainted Fisher-Price Medical Kit from its website after fielding questions about a Consumer Reports investigation that found “troubling” levels of lead in the blood pressure cuff.
