MATTEL/FISHER-PRICE RECALLING 1.5 MILLION TOYS

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                                      FISHER-PRICE RECALLING 1.5 MILLION TOYS





 By Nicole Maestri
Thu Aug 2, 9:51 AM ET
 
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mattel Inc. is recalling 1.5 million Chinese-made toys worldwide because their paint may contain too much lead -- the latest in a deluge of product safety scares that have tainted the "made in China" brand.
 
The recalled toys made for Mattel's Fisher-Price unit include popular preschool characters like Elmo and Big Bird along with dozens of other items.

They were made by a contract manufacturer in China using a non-approved paint pigment containing lead, Mattel said on Wednesday.

Lead paint has been linked to health problems in children, including brain damage.

Mattel is asking U.S. consumers and sellers to return 967,000 plastic toys and is recalling another 533,000 from other countries, including Britain, Canada and Mexico.

Mattel's senior vice president of worldwide quality assurance, Jim Walter, said the recall could hit all its markets and traced the problem to a single manufacturer.

"The disappointment here was we had a single contract manufacturer that we had a long-standing relationship with, who did not do what is required by Mattel," Walter said.

The recall comes amid heightened concern worldwide about the safety of China's exports. Many of the previous problem products have involved smaller manufacturers, but now a major company in a sensitive sector has been hit.

[Bianca]

 Toy-maker Fisher-Price is recalling 83 types of toys -- including Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters -- because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead.

The worldwide recall being announced today involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys made by a Chinese vendor and sold in the United States between May and August. It is the latest in a wave of recalls that has heightened global concern about the safety of Chinese-made products.

The recall is the first for Fisher-Price Inc. and parent company Mattel Inc. involving lead paint. It is the largest for Mattel since 1998 when Fisher-Price had to yank about 10 million Power Wheels from toy stores.

David Allmark, general manager of Fisher-Price, said Wednesday that the problem was detected by an internal probe and reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Fisher-Price and the commission issued statements saying parents should keep suspect toys away from children and contact the company.

The commission works with companies to issue recalls when it finds consumer goods that can be harmful. Under current regulations, children's products found to have more than .06 percent lead accessible to users are subject to a recall.

Allmark says the recall was "fast-tracked," which allowed the company to quarantine two-thirds of the toys before they made it to store shelves.

Allmark said the recall was troubling because Fisher-Price has had a long-standing relationship with the Chinese vendor, which had applied decorative paint to the toys. Allmark said the company would use this recall as an opportunity to put even better systems in place to monitor vendors whose conduct does not meet Mattel's standards.

He added: "We are still concluding the investigation, how it happened.... But there will be a dramatic investigation on how this happened. We will learn from this."

"Anytime a company brings a banned hazardous product into the U.S. marketplace, especially one intended for children, it is unacceptable," said Nancy Nord, acting chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. "Ensuring that Chinese-made toys are safe for U.S. consumers is one of my highest priorities and is the subject of vital talks currently in place between CPSC and the Chinese government."

Owners of recalled toys can exchange them for a voucher for another product of the same value. To see pictures of the recalled toys, visit www.service.mattel.com. For more information, call Mattel's recall hot line at 800-916-4498.

[Bianca]

                                                   LIST OF RECALLED TOYS




Associated Press

List of model names and product numbers for the nearly 1 million recalled Fisher-Price toys, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission:

33662 Elmo Light Up Musical Pal

33663 Ernie Light Up Musical Pal

33664 Big Bird Light Up Musical Pal

34658 Elmo Stacking Rings

39038 Elmo Tub Sub

39054 Sesame Street Shape Sorter

87946 Elmo Keyboard

90267 Ernie Splashin' Fun Trike

90609 Elmo Collectible

90611 Cookie Collectible

90612 Zoe Collectible

90613 Ernie Collectible

90614 Big Bird Collectible

90745 Construction Playset

93068 Elmo Boom Box

93107 Action Fire Engine

93307 Press N Go Elmo

93308 Rev & Go Cookie Monster

93492 Cookie Saxophone

93493 Elmo's Guitar

93615 Splash Tub Puzzle

93780 Music And Lights Phone

B7554 Count To Beat Elmo

B7888 Shake, Giggle & Roll

B7987 Elmo in the Giggle Box

B7989 Silly Parts Talking Elmo

B9620 Dora's Talking House

C6908 Dora, Backpack, Perrito Figure Pack

C6909 Diego Figure Pack

C6910 Swiper Figure Pack

C6911 Boots, Tico Figure Pack

G3825 Dora Talking Vamonos Van

G5112 Sing With Elmo's Greatest Hits

G9717 Giggle Doodler

H2943 Grow with Me Elmo Sprinkler

H3343 Cousin Daisy

H3344 Birthday Dora

H5569 Elmo & Pals (Elmo, Cookie, Ernie)

H5570 Elmo & Pals (Elmo, Zoe, Big Bird)

H4187 Dora Figures in Tube

H4628 Water Fun Tote

H8236 Dora 3 Pack Figures in Tube

H8237 Blue 3 Pack Figures in Tube

H8238 Sponge Bob 3 Pack Figures in Tube

H9124 Chef Dora

H9125 Bedtime Dora

H9186 Giggle Grabber Ernie

H9188 Giggle Grabber Oscar the Grouch

J0338 Diego Talking Field Journal

J0343 Go Diego Go Antarctic Rescue

J0344 Go Diego Go Deep Sea Rescue

J0345 Go Diego Go Mountain Rescue

J0346 Go Diego Go Talking Rescue 4 X 4

J5935 Giggle Grabber Soccer Elmo

J5936 Giggle Grabber Chef Cookie Monster

J6537 Sesame Street Giggle Toolbelt

J6762 Queen Mami

J6763 Royal Boots and Tico

J6765 Prince Diego

J7983 Sesame Street Tub Pots & Pans

J9518 Sesame Street Giggle Drill

J9692 Dora's Talking Pony Place

K0617 Twins Nursery

K3414 Diego - Talking Gadget Belt

K3571 Go Diego Go Mobile Rescue Unit

K3580 Fairytale Adventure Dora

K4139 Go Diego Go Dinosaur Rescue

K4140 Toucan Motorcycle Rescue

L0305 Dora Figure

L3194 Surprise Inside Diego Eggs

L3215 Sesame Street Elmo Jack-In-The-Box

L3488 Sesame Street Birthday Figure Pack

L3507 Sesame Street - Super Boom Box

L5202 Birthday Dora

L5813 Diego Tub Trike

L8905 Pablo & Pals

M0351 Dora Figures Dora & Kitty

M0352 Dora Figures Diego & Bear

M0524 Go Diego Go Talking Gadget

M0527 Sesame Street Giggle Doodler

M0732 Dora's Talking House

M2051 Let's Go Rescue Center

M2052 Fairytale Castle

[Bianca]

D A M N   T H E M   T O   H E  L L !!!!



MY GREATGRANDAUGHTERS HAVE BEEN PLAYING WITH SOME OF THESE TOYS SINCE THEY

WERE BABIES.......

[Bianca]

For Chinese children lead can be inescapable By Chris Buckley
Fri Aug 3, 6:25 AM ET
 


BEIJING (Reuters) - Parents around the world may have been shocked this week when 1.5 million Chinese-made Fisher-Price toys were recalled because of excessive lead content, but for mums and dads in China lead poisoning is just a fact of life.
 
Mattel Inc.'s worldwide recall of dozens of products is the latest in a deluge of safety scares that have rattled international consumer confidence in Chinese-made goods.

High levels of lead from toys, water pipes and industry can cause behavioral problems and slow learning among children.

But if Beijing was worried about Chinese children being affected, that was not reflected in state-run media on Friday, which were silent about Mattel's recall.

And it was business as usual in the toy section of Beijing's Tianyi department store.

"I do not worry so much, if the toy looks fun for my child, it is okay. My child is already so big, he is not going to put the toy in his mouth," said a Mrs. Zhang, who was buying toys for her four-year-old son.

Indeed, for many parents, lead competes with many other toxins in the heavily polluted country as a source of anxiety.

"There are just too many things to worry about," said Li Huijing, mother of a five-year-old girl. "There are some things I just try not to think about. I try to pay more for good toys."

HOUSE PAINT, OLD PIPES

China has responded to rising consumer expectations by setting stricter standards for lead in toys, most recently introducing new labeling rules. But imposing those standards on the country's vast and fragmented toy sector is difficult.

China makes 75 percent of the world's toys, according to the national chamber of light industry, and many of the thousands of producers are small and resistant to regulation.

They make cheap plastic, metal and wooden toys that -- if regular news reports are a guide -- often have a lead content well above government-set limits.

A 2005 report in a Beijing newspaper cited estimates that 60 percent of Chinese-made toys used paint with lead above internationally accepted limits.

The China Toy Association would not answer questions about the problem.

"The worry isn't big toy makers that also export their products. The worry is small factories," said Feng Guoqiang, a childhood development specialist at Peking University's Health Science Centre.

"It's a matter of money and choice. Some parents can't afford better, so they buy the cheapest on the stall."

Feng said that toys are not the biggest threat. China has phased out leaded petrol, but house paint, old pipes and buildings and belching factories are still big sources of lead.

A study of Chinese cities in 2004 found that 10.5 percent of children had lead levels in their blood of at least 100 microgram's per liter -- a level considered unhealthy by the World Health Organization.

"For us, the problem is the factories. What they make is less important," said Feng.

[Bianca]

                                       Mattel to announce 3rd China toy recall





By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO,
AP Business Writer

 NEW YORK - Mattel Inc., whose reputation has been battered by two high-profile toy recalls this summer, will announce on Wednesday the recall of a third batch of Chinese-made toys because they may contain excessive amounts of lead paint, The Associated Press has learned.
 
The latest recall by the world's largest toy maker will be for a Fisher-Price toy and accessories to a Barbie playset and involves several hundred thousand units, according to two persons briefed by Mattel executives who asked for anonymity because the company has not yet formally announced the action. It could not be learned whether the toys were made in different Chinese factories.

Mattel officials did not immediately return phone calls on Tuesday.

Mattel's last recall, announced on Aug. 14, covered about 19 million toys worldwide. They included Chinese-made toys that either had excessive amounts of lead paint or had small magnets that could easily be swallowed by children.

On Aug. 1, Mattel's Fisher-Price division said it was recalling 1.5 million preschool toys featuring characters such as Dora the Explorer, Big Bird and Elmo because of lead paint. That action included 967,000 toys sold in the United States between May and August.

Lead can cause brain damage when ingested by young children. Under current regulations, children's products found to have more than .06 percent lead accessible to users are subject to a recall.

Robert Eckert, chairman and CEO of El Segundo, Calif.-based Mattel, warned at a press conference last month that there may be more recalls of tainted toys as the company steps up its investigations into its Chinese factories and retests products.

Still, the latest action would be yet another blow to Mattel, which had cultivated an image of tightly controlling production in China. The Consumer Product Safety Commission also said Tuesday it was considering a possible investigation of whether Mattel notified authorities as quickly as it should have in connection with the Aug. 14 recall.

With more than 80 percent of toys sold worldwide made in China, toy sellers are nervous that shoppers will shy away from their products in this year's critical holiday season.

Late last month, Toys "R" Us announced it was recalling thousands of art sets made in China due to excessive levels of lead in some black watercolor paints.

In June, toy maker RC2 Corp. voluntarily recalled 1.5 million wooden railroad toys and set parts from its Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line. The company said that the surface paint on certain toys and parts made in China between January 2005 and April 2006 contain lead, affecting 26 components and 23 retailers.

In July, Hasbro Inc. recalled faulty Chinese-made Easy Bake ovens, marking the second time the iconic toy had been recalled this year.

Last month, Mattel vowed that it would tighten its controls at its factories in China. About 65 percent of Mattel's toys are made in China, where about 50 percent of Mattel's production is produced in company-owned plants. But apparently, the controls were not strict enough, particularly when it came to overseeing Mattel's subcontractors.

Until recently, Mattel had focused testing on materials that went into the toys and had factories do sample testing of its products.

Now, the company is increasing its vigilance at the beginning of production and during production. Factories are now being forced to test every batch of products before they are released to stores. Mattel has also stepping up unannounced random testing of its Chinese suppliers and is tightening enforcement of rules that suppliers use certified paint.

The Aug. 14 worldwide recall covered more than 400,000 die-cast cars modeled after the cartoon movie character "Sarge" that contained excessive amounts of lead paint. Eckert told reporters the correct paint was sent to a subcontractor, who apparently chose not to use it.