Update: Mattel Recalls 9 Million Toys

Here's the full scoop: The recall includes 9 million Mattel toys made in China, including Polly Pocket sets, Batman action figure sets, Doggie Day Care magnetic toys, Barbie and Tanner dolls, and the die-cast Cars toy, Sarge. The Sarge car is being recalled because of lead paint, but the rest have magnets that could come loose and be swallowed (which could cause potentially fatal intestinal damage if two magnets attract.)

Click on the links above (which take you to the CPSC's bulletin for each toy) to find out if you have any of the affected products, or visit Mattel's recall website.

I know I've said it before, but these headlines continue to be really scary—mostly because this seems to be such an incredibly wide-reaching problem with the way nearly everything is manufactured in China (and I'm sure other places.). Is there anything we can do, short of growing our own food or making our own toys, toothpaste, and pet food? What's your reaction?

Comments

[Sheri]

I am beyond mad, sad and frightened.

I usually don't buy toys at cheapo places but when I buy from Fisher Price or Learning Curve and pay out top dollar, I expect my child and their friends to be safe, not endangered.

What a wonderful birthday present my 7 yo grandson(Evan) would have. ONe that could never be duplicated,forgotten, or cherished. His class, teacher and school would love it.

[Amy H]

Mostly despair, when I think about going through Sunshine's gigantic toybox to find that STUPID doggy pooper scooper thing and ALL the polly pocket stuff (I don't care what was recalled, it's all getting thrown).

And when her birthday rolls around in a couple months, I am going to refuse any gifts that include PAINT or MAGNETS. Rude, maybe. Fed up? Oh, yes.

[Andrea]

i think it just took cpsc too long to crack down on this stuff. do you think china has suddenly started producing dangerous toys? i think an investigation of older toys would produce similar results.

[Nutmeg]

Last night I had to chuck some food from china and am glad we aren't at this kind of toy phase yet.

I've decided to not buy things made in china, but from what I've read that's going to be a really difficult prospect.

I agree with Andrea... this problem isn't new, we are just reaching the tip of the iceberg (pardon the cliche)

[Bastet]

I agree with Sheri. "I am beyond mad, sad and frightened."

The CPSC can only do so much (lack of government funds), so unfortunately for us, we have to rely on the companies exporting toys that we buy.

I wish I could say I won't buy "Made in China" products...but what isn't made in China? It isn't always labeled China if only a part or two is produced there.

I wrote my congressmen and asked for action. That is my solution.

[Ladybug]

It is very scary. I am still trying to find a couple of these toys that I know we have. When is it going to end?

[Stacey]

I see some positives in all of this. One, it may help the "handmade toy/doll" movement grow even larger, and two, it may get people to entertain their kids with a walk outside, or some healthy interaction vs. sitting them in a room with a pile of flashy toys.

And while it is scary for those of us whose kids have some of these toys (myself included), it's good news that this is being recognized as a problem and new regulations will be put in place. It's also making us more savvy consumers.

[Sharon]

Sara Bongiorni and her family attempted to live without goods made in China for a year, and found that it was no simple task. She has documented the project in a book called, A Year Without 'Made in China. This book would certainly be worth a read if you're at all interested in buying more local products.

[Sharon]

Sara Bongiorni and her family attempted to live without goods made in China for a year, and found that it was no simple task. She has documented the project in a book called, A Year Without 'Made in China. This book would certainly be worth a read if you're at all interested in buying more local products.

[adrienne]

It's hard to briefly explain this, but Wal-Mart is part of the problem here. They're always asking manufacturers to give them an even lower price even if the manufacturer is making NO profit.

So let's say a manufacturer offers Wal-Mart a widget at 22 cents that costs them 18 cents to manufacture. Wal-Mart then says "We're the largest retailer in the US, we will only buy from you at 20 cents." It doesn't matter that 22 cents may have been a reasonable or even generous price- Wal-Mart wants it all for less screw the consequences.

So, how do you get a 22 cent toy widget down to 20 cents and still have any profit for the business? Well, first of all, you make it overseas where people make only pennies a day and have no benefits and no protective labor laws (sweatshops, child labor, slave labor, etc.). That's how you got to 22 cents in the first place. In the US it would have cost about 30 cents to make (which is why the US has lost most of its manufacturing to other nations).

So, how do produce a product for even less? Shoddy materials. And you can ignore the US' quality regulations because NO ONE is checking the goods for compliance. Not Fisher-Price, not the Trade Associations, not Customs, and definitely not Wal-Mart (while recalls are inconvenient, they don't cause as much financial damage for discount retailers as the manufacturers shoulder the burden).

Bottom line for improving safety in the US: BUY LESS STUFF AND BE WILLING TO PAY MORE FOR WHAT YOU'RE BUYING. Bargain hunting is killing our country. If we hadn't all flocked to discount retailers in the last 3 decades, safe and quality goods would still be available.

[amy h]

I have to say, I'm not seeing how avoiding toys from China would help with the magnet issue. That seems to be a design flaw, not a manufacturing flaw like the lead paint. Most of this second recall seems to be due to the magnets, which were likely speced out for the toys by American designers (I have no idea, but that is my guess).

[IG]

Check out the NY Times article about lead in baby bibs...that is beyond scary because they are not being recalled (yet)!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/15/business/15lead.html?ei=5087%0A&em=&en=6083b53c77055276&ex=1187409600&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1187269666-dfnjudRGwf7wHOSLFwvnPw

[adrienne]

Here's a good article on the Wal-Mart/recall connection:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20070816/wl_mcclatchy/20070816bcchinatoys_attn_national_foreign_editors_ytop;_ylt=AjZAef.9kdep.kNlrlBFMtcEtbAF

[A Mom]

The huge recall of 9.5 million magnetic Mattel products (18.2 million worldwide) is not about Made In China. It is about product design. Scary but true: Magnets Can Kill. Mattel changed their product design in Feb. 2007 to better retain magnets by covering them with sturdy little white bits of material or metal hooks. But be careful - all their magnetic toys produced before then had the old design. To date the company has received over 570 complaints from consumers that magnets popped out of the small parts and accessories in Polly Pocket, Batman, Barbie and Tanner and Doggie Daycare toys that were sold over several years. So far 4 kids had to have surgery after the magnets reconnected in their intestines - owwww! So don't let your child or others be at risk...return any of the toys on the list to the company at their expense ASAP. A complete list with link to photos is available at http://magnetscankill.spaces.live.com. Do you also have any magnetic building kits at your home? Almost all Magnetix brand toys have also been recalled due to a similar issue of magnets coming out in an unintended manner. Check it out at the same site. These rare earth magnets are very powerful! And being so small they are eminently swallowable. Toy companies either need to stop selling them to our youngsters or engineer their toys much much better.

[bill]

By the way I wouldn't eat mandarin oranges from China, (not because of lead) but because China's air,land and water are filled with pollutants.

[chris]

Hi.
Just thought you may be interested in a new recall information source.
www.totalrecallinfo.com

Take care.