U.S. Agency Acts to Force Recall of 3 Crib Toys

The federal government announced Monday that it has filed a complaint to force Johnson & Johnson to recall 1.6 million crib toys that have been blamed in the deaths of two infants, and it warned parents to remove the toys from cribs immediately.

In the unusual formal complaint, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which endorses voluntary toy industry standards, asked an administrative law judge to order recall of the popular “Soft Triplets,” “Piglet Crib Gym” and “Triplets Marching Band,” distributed by Johnson & Johnson Baby Products Co. Inc.

Johnson & Johnson, based in New Brunswick, N.J., stopped distributing the Hong Kong-made toys in March but has refused to recall the 1.6 million of them sold since 1979, David Schmeltzer of the safety commission told reporters in a news conference.

Johnson & Johnson spokesman Jim Murray denied that the toys were defective or hazardous.

Company Plans to Fight

“We believe the (commission) action . . . is unnecessary and inappropriate. We therefore intend to present a vigorous defense and are optimistic that the hearing officer will agree that our actions are appropriate,” Murray said.

He said that the company has mailed to 700,000 purchasers warnings that none of the toys should be used in a crib after the child is able to sit up and that it will advertise the warning in magazines for parents. Murray said also that the packaging bears a warning against use as a crib toy for older babies.

A commission spokesman said: “It would have been the politic and right thing to do for (Johnson & Johnson) to take them off the market. They keep saying the label is going to do the job. We say no, the label won’t do the job. It’s a very sharp difference of opinion.”

Schmeltzer said that the toys, which consist of stuffed cloth figures holding hands along an elastic strap, are dangerous because the elastic and the strings used to attach them to the crib sides can strangle an infant who is able to grab the toy or stand up in the crib. The strings are provided by the purchaser.