Major Toy Recall - maybe 20 Million

[Wee67]

About 11:30 today, Mattell will announce another major recall. Its another problem with lead paint from China. I expect them to throw in some of those magnet toys that have been causing problems, including child deaths.

I'll post more when it comes in.
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Looks more like 9 million, but still alot!

Could include some modern Batman toys and some of the die cast cars from the movie 'Cars.'
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Official list won't be out until later, but early list includes-

253,000 Sarge Die Cast Toy Cars are being recalled

Surface paint on the toys could contain excessive lead, according to Mattel

---The following four other toys are being recalled because of magnets that could detach and be swallowed by children. If kids swallow more than one magnet, they can attract each other and puncture / block their intestines

--Various Polly Pocket dolls and accessories (7.3 million units)

--Doggie Day Care Magnetic Toys (1 million units)

--Barbie And Tanner Magnetic Toys (683,000 units)

--Batman and One Piece Magnetic Action Figure Set (345,000)

[mitchedwards]

Here is the latest update:

BETHESDA, Maryland (CNN) -- Toymaker Mattel is voluntarily recalling 9 million of its toys including popular characters such as Batman, Barbie, Polly Pockets and a toy from Pixar's "Cars" movie because of hazards to children, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Tuesday.
art.barbie.cnn.jpg

Mattel's Barbie and Tanner doll set is one of the products being recalled.

"The company has ordered that all products be pulled off retail shelves," said Nancy Nord, acting chairman of the commission.

The affected toys include Barbie Doll and Tanner dolls, Batman Magna series action figures, and Polly Pocket playsets. The commission says they have small, powerful magnets that can be dislodged and swallowed.

All of the toys were manufactured in China.

Nord said that if more than one magnet is swallowed they could cause intestinal damage and other injuries.

Also recalled was the "Sarge" die cast toys from the Pixar "Cars" movie assortment because of hazardous lead paint.

These products were produced by one specific contract manufacturer during a narrow time frame.
Today's Recall
# Barbie and Tanner - hazardous magnet
# Batman - hazardous magnet
# Polly Pockets - hazardous magnet
# Doggie Daycare - hazardous magnet
# One Piece - hazardous magnet
# Sarge cars - lead in paint

All affected toys were made in China for Mattel

The recalled Sarge Cars were sold individually and in assortment packs in retail stores nationwide from May 2007 to August 2007. The Sarge character is a small die cast car measuring about 3 inches in length.

The car is an Army green color and features a white star on the hood. Surface paint on affected products contains lead in excess of permissible levels.

The company told CNN it is holding its own news conference on Tuesday.

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our children," said Mattel Chairman Bob Eckert in an full-page ad published Tuesday in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

"Our long record of safety at Mattel is why we're one of the most trusted names with parents," Eckert wrote. "And I am confident that the actions we are taking now will maintain that trust."

For Mattel, the parent company of Fisher-Price, it is the second toy recall in two weeks.

Its Fisher-Price preschool division recalled 1.5 million toys that were made in China, over worries that their paint may contain too much lead.

The toys included likenesses of Big Bird and Elmo, as well as the Dora and Diego characters.
Don't Miss

* Special: Made in China
* Mattel recall page
* Consumer Product Safety Commission

"Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects," according to the CPSC. Lead paint can cause vomiting, anemia and even neurological damage.

Chinese officials temporarily banned Lee Der, the company that made the Fisher-Price recalled toys, from exporting products. The Southern Metropolis Daily, citing unidentified Lee Der workers, said the recall cost the company $30 million.

The manager of the Lee Der factory committed suicide over the weekend, government officials said. Zhang Shuhong hanged himself in a warehouse in the city of Foshan, said an official with the Guangdong Public Security Department.

The recall was among the largest in recent months involving Chinese products, which have come under scrutiny worldwide for containing potentially dangerous high levels of chemicals and toxins.
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A Chinese quality inspection agency also announced a temporary export ban on Hansheng Wood Products Factory and said police were investigating the use of "fake plastic pigment." Such pigments are a type of industrial latex used to make surfaces smoother and shinier.

Hansheng made wooden railroad toys that a New York company, RC2 Corp., sold under the Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line. RC2 had to recall 1.5 million of the toys earlier this year because of lead paint. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

[toys2cool]

Holy crap that's a lot of toys,looks like mattel is gonna lose mad money

[jwyblejr]

It's strange how it's only Mattel who's been hit by all of this. Wonder how long before other companies get hit?

[batmanmc]

this could hurt mattel bad as the christmas season is coming up and they have to produce more to replace the lost ones. and then the consumer confidence could also hurt them . i hope not . mike

[MegoSteve]

It's strange how it's only Mattel who's been hit by all of this. Wonder how long before other companies get hit?

I agree that it seems strange, unless Mattel had an exclusive agreement with the Chinese factory where they're produced.

[grayhank]

It's only a matter of time before all the Toy Companies get the "let's see what we can find wrong with them" treatment by the media. And so the witch hunt begins!

[Mikey]

Makes me wonder if the new Trek figures are ok

They're made in China too