3 Toys Made by Local Firms Called Dangerous
Toys manufactured by three Southland companies wound up on the annual 10 most unsafe toys list released Monday, but the methodology used to compile the ranking came under heavy fire from toy makers.
Quack Along Ducks made by Brea-based Tomy America, Precious Playmates Baby Soft Love made by Unimax Toys USA of Laguna Hills, and Marvel Comics’ Wolverine Super Hero doll made by Applause Inc. of Woodland Hills were listed among the most dangerous toys in stores this year, according to World Against Toys Causing Harm, or WATCH. The Boston-based nonprofit group was formed by product-liability lawyer Edward Swartz.
However, the Toy Manufacturers Assn. of America, looking to defend the $20-billion industry as it heads into the critical holiday season, crashed Swartz’s annual news conference Monday.
The New York-based trade group, which has hired a publicist to discredit Swartz, condemned the list as unnecessarily frightening, dishonest and meaningless.
Aaron Locker, chief legal counsel for the toy makers association, said that Swartz randomly selects the toys that appear on the list and that his testing is not comprehensive.
“All of the toys that you’ve seen are safe,” Locker said. “None of them violate any federal regulations.”
Spokesmen for two of the Southland manufacturers agreed, saying their toys met both mandatory and voluntary safety-testing standards set by the industry and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Swartz, however, called the toy makers’ remarks “completely irresponsible.”
“They’d rather not specifically talk about the toys that are on the list,” said the 63-year-old Swartz, who has also written two books on unsafe toys. “They’d rather talk in generalities and about personalities.”
He said WATCH tests thousands of toys each year, many of which are sent to the group by parents. The list represents the types of dangerous toys that are in stores this year, but is by no means a definitive list.
“We don’t want people to think that if they avoid these toys, they’ll have a safe basket of toys under the Christmas tree,” he said.
This year’s list, which actually names 12 products, is composed primarily of superhero action figures and dolls. Quack Along Ducks, a $12.99 pull-toy duck sold in toy stores nationwide, comes with a warning label that toddlers can become entangled in its cord.
“But you don’t get to see the warning label until you take the sucker out of the box,” said Swartz, who said he learned of the labeling after buying one for his granddaughter.
Tomy America spokesman John Giurini said the Quack Along Ducks, sold in Toys R Us, Target and Wal-Mart stores nationwide, passed testing by two independent laboratories, in addition to company tests.
Applause’s 9-inch Wolverine doll, which sells in specialty stores for $19.99, has plastic fins on its head that aren’t flexible and could stab or cut children. The doll also comes with a striking claw and can be used “for exactly what it says,” Swartz said.
Claire Nelson, marketing director at Applause, declined to say how many of the Wolverine dolls were produced, or which stores carried them.
Baby Soft Love doll, which sells for $7.99, comes with a removable headband that toddlers 18 months and up--the doll’s target market--could choke on or swallow, Swartz said. Officials at Unimax couldn’t be reached for comment.
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Associated Press was used in compiling this report.
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Toy Troubles
Here is the list, compiled by a Boston-based group, of the season’s 10 worst toys. Three of them are manufactured or distributed by California companies:
1. Gerber Playtime Baby Doll
* Manufacturer/distributor: ToyBiz Inc., New York City
* Price: $14.99* Ages: 3-24 months
* Hazard: Potential for puncture wounds and eye injuries
2. Quack Along Ducks
* Manufacturer/distributor: Tomy America Inc., Brea
* Price: $12.99* Ages: 10 months and older
* Hazard: Potential for strangulation and entanglement
3. Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man Web Blaster and Ammo
* Manufacturer/distributor: ToyBiz Inc., New York City; Rite Off Inc., Seaford, Del.
* Price: $12.99
* Ages: 5 and older (Web Blaster Box); no age recommendation for Ammo
* Hazard: Potential for face and eye injuries
4. Sock’em Boppers and Super Sock’em Boppers
* Manufacturer/distributor: Big Time Toys LLC, Nashville
* Price: $9.99 and $12.99
* Ages: 4-11 and 4-12 (on boxes only)
* Hazard: Potential for hand, wrist and face injury
5. Candy Babies with Nerds Candy
* Manufacturer/distributor: Cap Toys Inc., Bedford Heights, Ohio; Sunmark Inc., St. Louis.
* Price: $6
* Ages: None on toy; retail display box states ages 3 and older
* Hazard: Potential for choking
6. “Chris” Pacifier Doll
* Manufacturer/distributor: Jesmar S.A., Spain
* Price: $39.99
* Ages: None on box, package insert reads: “Not Recommended for Children Under 36 Months”
* Hazard: Potential for eye injury
7. Nightlighter Hugabear with Nightlight
* Manufacturer/distributor: Kidpower Inc., Brentwood, Tenn.
* Price: $19.99* Ages: 1 1/2 and older
* Hazard: Potential for electric shock
8. Marvel Comics’ Wolverine Super Hero
* Manufacturer/distributor: Applause, Woodland Hills
* Price: $19.99* Ages: Ages older than 3
(tie) Marvel Comics’ Awesome Arm
* Manufacturer/distributor: Zima Products Ltd., Hong Kong
* Price: $9.99* Ages: 5 and older
* Hazard: Potential for eye injury
9. Goosebumps’ Curly’s Brain Bites
* Manufacturer/distributor: Parachute Press Inc.; Hasbro Inc. Pawtucket, R.I.
* Price: $5
* Ages: None on toy; 5 and older (on display box)
* Hazard: Potential for choking
10. Newborn Magic Bottle Pets
* Manufacturer/distributor: Tyco Industries Inc., Mt. Laurel, N.J.
* Price: $14.99* Ages: All ages
(tie) Precious Playmates Baby Soft Love
* Manufacturer/distributor: Unimax Toys, USA, Laguna Hills
* Price: $7.99* Ages: 18 months and older
* Hazard: Potential for choking
Source: World Against Toys Causing Harm Inc.
