An illustration and explanation of today's tainted toys

25 Sep 2007

Brood Awakenings: A Grist special series on parenting and health

Seems you can't turn around these days without hearing about some trusted toy being yanked from the shelves. (Dora, we hardly knew ya!) If you want to keep on top of the latest recalls, check out the Consumer Product Safety Commission database or BabyCenter's product recall finder.

Meanwhile, we offer a graphic cheat sheet below, followed by explanations of some familiar characters' risky business. Saucepan and wooden spoon, anyone?

All of these toys have been recalled. To find out why, see below.

Illustration by Keri Rosebraugh

Rubber Ducky, You're Not the One: Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores removed about 6,000 rubber ducky watering cans from its shelves this summer, after the beak (aka spout) was found to contain lead paint.

Holy Bad PR, Batman!: Mattel announced in mid-August that it would recall 345,000 Batman and One Piece action figure sets, due to the risk that magnets could fall out and be swallowed. The company received 21 reports of such magnetic mayhem, though no injuries were reported.

War Is Hell: In mid-August, Mattel also pulled back 253,000 of these personable military vehicles, concerned over the possibility of high lead levels in paint. Some kids got lucky: only the die-cast vehicles stamped "China" had to go; those stamped "Thailand" were deemed A-OK.

Sunny Day, Everything's ... Just Eh: In early August, Fisher-Price announced the recall of 967,000 items featuring beloved characters from shows like Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, and Go, Diego, Go! The toys, which were manufactured in China and suspected to contain excess lead levels in paint, included "Elmo in the Giggle Box" and "Surprise Inside Diego Eggs." Surprise! Your toys are toxic!

An Oldie But Woody: In 2003, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts recalled 40,000 Woody dolls sold at various outlets in Florida, prompted by fears that kids could take off the Toy Story character's buttons and choke on them.

Off Track: In mid-June, RC2 Corp. put on the red light for 1.5 million wooden Thomas the Tank Engine toys. Seems the toys were doused in lead paint (and manufactured in, you guessed it, China).

The Paws That Refreshes: More magnetic fun for Mattel, which recalled about 1 million Doggie Day Care play sets in mid-August, citing concerns that small magnets could fall out of the toys and be swallowed. Snack Time with Cookie, indeed.

Keri Rosebraugh's illustrations have been featured in newspapers and magazines worldwide. Her clients also include Disney Consumer Products, Mattel, Inc., Dreamworks, and many others. Recently president of the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, Keri teaches at Barnsdall Art Park in Hollywood and has shown her fine art work in numerous group shows.

Katharine Wroth is Grist's story editor.

Comments: (2 comments)

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How long has this been going on?

How many kids have already been harmed by these toys? How long have these toys been on the market? No consumer reports on toy safety? No curious parents or day care folks checking it out? What else is out there?

Is this just another casualty of consumeritis?? When my kids were growing up I chose a non-materialistic lifestyle. I was lucky. I had a choice. My children grew up without television, sugar or mass market toys. They had plenty of wooden blocks, baking sets, beautiful handmade dolls and the garden and woods around us. They are now intelligent, capable people living in the modern world, making their own choices.

I think we owe it to our children to teach them the difference. Not just between mass market junk with or without lead paint but deeper concepts of creativity and what we choose to acquire and entertain ourselves with.

I'm sharing some ideas about living in a world of peace and sanity in my blog at http://goodwordswan.wildflowerstew.com

http://goodwordswan.wildflowerstew.com

by swan at 1:14 PM on 25 Sep 2007

Gee, pay more for non-toxic toys? I don't know...

It's kind of shameful to hear the talking heads on cable news channels. They acknowledge that lead paint probably isn't a good thing, but warn that Christmas might cost more if we insist upon toys that won't give our children brain damage.

Swan said:
Is this just another casualty of consumeritis??
Absolutely. We want it all, and we don't care how we get it. America's children need toys based on their favorite TV characters (after all, the TV is their best friend anymore), and parents want those toys as cheap and as plentiful as possible. Since we can't see the Asian and Latin American sweatshops, or the pollution generated by producing millions of pounds of disposable plastic junk, we can safely ignore them; I'm sure that if those things were important, somebody would tell us about it.

Taking accounting to the extreme since 2004.

by akbeancounter at 4:46 PM on 25 Sep 2007

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Elmo Has Left the Giggle Box

An illustration and explanation of today's tainted toys