Mattell Announces New Toy Recall

The Montgomery County Health Department is once again urging parents and others in the community to be aware of recent toy recalls by major manufacturers.

Previously the health department warned local residents about the dangers of lead poisoning that could occur from toys containing high levels of lead paint recalled by Fisher-Price Toy Company in early August.

Now, Jan Chamness, public health director, is urging parents to be aware of another toy recall by Mattel, the parent company of Fisher-Price. This recall involves 18.2 million toys, including 9.5 million in the United States, which may contain magnets or magnetic parts that could be dislodged and swallowed by small children.

Chamness said that as in the Fisher-Price recall, some very popular children’s toys are involved in the Mattel recall, include Polly Pocket play sets and accessories, Doggy Daycare play sets and some Barbie accessories. Again, the danger with a recall of this magnitude and with toys that are this popular with children, is that so many homes, daycares, church nurseries, etc., contain these products.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the problem with the toys is that small magnets inside the dolls and accessories can come loose. These magnets can be found by young children and swallowed or aspirated. If more than one magnet is swallowed, the magnets can attract each other and cause intestinal perforation or blockage, which can be fatal.

CPSC also reports that this is not the first time Polly Pocket dolls and play sets have been involved in a recall. About 2.4 million play sets were recalled in November 2006 for the same reason they are being recalled now. Since the previous recall announcement, Mattel has received more than 400 additional reports of magnets coming loose. CPSC was aware in the first recall announcement of 170 reports of the magnets coming out of the recalled toys. There had been three reports of serious injuries to children who swallowed more than one magnet. All three suffered intestinal perforations that required surgery.

The toys currently being recalled were sold at toy stores and various other retailers from May 2003 through November 2006 for between $15 and $30. They were manufactured in China. The CPSC recommends that consumers immediately take these recalled toys away from children and contact Mattel at 1-888-597-6597 to receive a voucher for a replacement toy of the customer’s choice, up to the value of the returned product. The Mattel website has a complete listing of all the toys involved in the recall.

Chamness said she is glad the national and local media are devoting so much attention to recalled products. “This is something the health department is concerned with all the time because it involves the health and safety of our community. The Kentucky Department for Public Health has a consumer product safety program and the staff of this program work hard to make sure the public is aware of products that have been recalled because their safety is in question.”

Chamness said while recalls of this magnitude focus our attention on the situation briefly, it is important all the time to be aware of what toys or products our children own or have access to. She said, “Children’s products are recalled as often as twice a week. That means there are, on average, over 100 children’s products recalled each year. Chances are most of us have a recalled product in our homes and we just don’t know it. It’s important to check.” The CPSC website, www.cpsc.gov, contains a current list of all products recalled in the United States.

Chamness said any type of product can be recalled but toys are the most common children’s product to be recalled, usually because a small part can easily break off and pose a choking hazard. However, everything from cribs, carseats, swings, highchairs, strollers, clothing and pacifiers have been recalled.

“The unfortunate thing is that often products are recalled only after they have injured or killed a child,” Chamness said. “Many retailers do post information about recalled products that they have carried in their stores, however, often this information is not displayed as prominently as we would like,” she added.

For more information about recalled products, call the Montgomery County Health Department 498-3808.

Other recent recalls:

Aug. 21, 2007: Hampton Direct recalled magnetic toy train sets. The paint on these trains contains excessive amounts of lead, posing a risk of lead exposure in young children; This recall involves Magnetic Alphabet and Number train sets sold by Johnson Smith Company, the Paragon Gifts, Inc., and Starcrest of California catalogs from December 2005 through July 2007 for about $30. Contact Hampton Direct at 800-208-4050

Aug. 14, 2007: Mattel recalled “Sarge” die cast toy cars due to lead levels in excess of federal standards. The recalled toy has the markings “7EA” and “China” on the bottom. The Sarge toy is sold alone or in a package of two and may have the product number M1253 (for single cars) and K5925 (for cars sold as a set) printed on the packaging. The cars marked “Thailand” are not included in this recall. The cars were sold at retail stores nationwide from May 2007 through August 2007 for between $7 and $20. Contact Mattel at 800-916-4997.

August 3, 2007: The Orvis Company recalled stuffed plush horse pillows and fairy dolls because the plastic button eyes on the horse and the pompom nose on the fairy doll can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children. The toys were sold through the Orvis Company catalog between September 2006 and December 2006 for about $70. Contact Orvis at 866-531-6199.

August 3, 2007: Window blinds sold exclusively at Lowe’s stores were recalled for repair by Springs Window Fashions due to a strangulation hazard. The window blinds have a pull cord that is looped, posing a strangulation hazard to young children. The products were sold at Lowe’s stores between March 2007 and July 2007 for between $24 and $40. Contact Springs Window Fashions at 866-305-8652 for a free retrofit kit.

July 19, 2007: Easy-Bake, a division of Hasbro, Inc., recalled Easy-Bake Ovens after receiving 249 reports of children getting their hands or fingers caught in the oven’s opening. These reports included 77 burning incidents, 16 of which were reported as second and third-degree burns. Easy-Bake also received one report of a serious burn that required a partial finger amputation to a 5-year-old girl. The Easy-Bake Oven is a purple and pink plastic oven that resembles a kitchen range with four burners on top and a front-loading oven. The model number is 65805 and the toys were sold at Toys “R” Us, Wal-Mart, Target, KB Toys and other retailers nationwide from May 2006 through July 2007 for about $25. Contact Easy-Bake at 800-601-8418

July 3, 2007: Infantino recalled Shape Sorting Toy Castles after receiving four reports of children nearing choking on the colored counting beads that can slide off the toy. The recall only includes castles with the following date codes: 5349, 6087, 6132 and 0906. The toys were sold at Wal-Mart, Target, Marshalls, Meijer and other specialty retailers nationwide from January 2006 to May 2007 for about $12. Contact Infantino at 888-808-3111.

June 28, 2007: Target recalled the Play Wonder Toy Barbecue Grill because the circular ash tray attached to the stainless steel legs of the grill could contain sharp edges, posing a laceration risk. The sets sold at Target Stores nationwide from December 2006 to February 2007 for about $20. Contact Target at 800-440-0680.


Mattel Announces New Toy Recall
The Montgomery County Health Department is once again urging parents and others in the community to be aware of recent toy recalls by major manufacturers. Previously the health department warned local residents about the dangers of lead poisoning that could occur from toys containing high levels of lead paint recalled by Fisher-Price Toy Company in early August. Now, Jan Chamness, public health director, is urging parents to be aware of another toy recall by Mattel, the parent company of Fisher-Price. This recall involves 18.2 million toys, including 9.5 million in the United States, which may contain magnets or magnetic parts that could be dislodged and swallowed by small children. Chamness said that as in the Fisher-Price recall, some very popular children’s toys are involved in the Mattel recall, include Polly Pocket play sets and accessories, Doggy Daycare play sets and some Barbie accessories. Again, the danger with a recall of this magnitude and with toys that are this popular with children, is that so many homes, daycares, church nurseries, etc., contain these products. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the problem with the toys is that small magnets inside the dolls and accessories can come loose. These magnets can be found by young children and swallowed or aspirated. If more than one magnet is swallowed, the magnets can attract each other and cause intestinal perforation or blockage, which can be fatal. CPSC also reports that this is not the first time Polly Pocket dolls and play sets have been involved in a recall. About 2.4 million play sets were recalled in November 2006 for the same reason they are being recalled now. Since the previous recall announcement, Mattel has received more than 400 additional reports of magnets coming loose. CPSC was aware in the first recall announcement of 170 reports of the magnets coming out of the recalled toys. There had been three reports of serious injuries to children who swallowed more than one magnet. All three suffered intestinal perforations that required surgery. The toys currently being recalled were sold at toy stores and various other retailers from May 2003 through November 2006 for between $15 and $30. They were manufactured in China. The CPSC recommends that consumers immediately take these recalled toys away from children and contact Mattel at 1-888-597-6597 to receive a voucher for a replacement toy of the customer’s choice, up to the value of the returned product. The Mattel website has a complete listing of all the toys involved in the recall. Chamness said she is glad the national and local media are devoting so much attention to recalled products. “This is something the health department is concerned with all the time because it involves the health and safety of our community. The Kentucky Department for Public Health has a consumer product safety program and the staff of this program work hard to make sure the public is aware of products that have been recalled because their safety is in question.” Chamness said while recalls of this magnitude focus our attention on the situation briefly, it is important all the time to be aware of what toys or products our children own or have access to. She said, “Children’s products are recalled as often as twice a week. That means there are, on average, over 100 children’s products recalled each year. Chances are most of us have a recalled product in our homes and we just don’t know it. It’s important to check.” The CPSC website, www.cpsc.gov, contains a current list of all products recalled in the United States. Chamness said any type of product can be recalled but toys are the most common children’s product to be recalled, usually because a small part can easily break off and pose a choking hazard. However, everything from cribs, carseats, swings, highchairs, strollers, clothing and pacifiers have been recalled. “The unfortunate thing is that often products are recalled only after they have injured or killed a child,” Chamness said. “Many retailers do post information about recalled products that they have carried in their stores, however, often this information is not displayed as prominently as we would like,” she added. For more information about recalled products, call the Montgomery County Health Department 498-3808. Other recent recalls: Aug. 21, 2007: Hampton Direct recalled magnetic toy train sets. The paint on these trains contains excessive amounts of lead, posing a risk of lead exposure in young children; This recall involves Magnetic Alphabet and Number train sets sold by Johnson Smith Company, the Paragon Gifts, Inc., and Starcrest of California catalogs from December 2005 through July 2007 for about $30. Contact Hampton Direct at 800-208-4050 Aug. 14, 2007: Mattel recalled “Sarge” die cast toy cars due to lead levels in excess of federal standards. The recalled toy has the markings “7EA” and “China” on the bottom. The Sarge toy is sold alone or in a package of two and may have the product number M1253 (for single cars) and K5925 (for cars sold as a set) printed on the packaging. The cars marked “Thailand” are not included in this recall. The cars were sold at retail stores nationwide from May 2007 through August 2007 for between $7 and $20. Contact Mattel at 800-916-4997. August 3, 2007: The Orvis Company recalled stuffed plush horse pillows and fairy dolls because the plastic button eyes on the horse and the pompom nose on the fairy doll can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children. The toys were sold through the Orvis Company catalog between September 2006 and December 2006 for about $70. Contact Orvis at 866-531-6199. August 3, 2007: Window blinds sold exclusively at Lowe’s stores were recalled for repair by Springs Window Fashions due to a strangulation hazard. The window blinds have a pull cord that is looped, posing a strangulation hazard to young children. The products were sold at Lowe’s stores between March 2007 and July 2007 for between $24 and $40. Contact Springs Window Fashions at 866-305-8652 for a free retrofit kit. July 19, 2007: Easy-Bake, a division of Hasbro, Inc., recalled Easy-Bake Ovens after receiving 249 reports of children getting their hands or fingers caught in the oven’s opening. These reports included 77 burning incidents, 16 of which were reported as second and third-degree burns. Easy-Bake also received one report of a serious burn that required a partial finger amputation to a 5-year-old girl. The Easy-Bake Oven is a purple and pink plastic oven that resembles a kitchen range with four burners on top and a front-loading oven. The model number is 65805 and the toys were sold at Toys “R” Us, Wal-Mart, Target, KB Toys and other retailers nationwide from May 2006 through July 2007 for about $25. Contact Easy-Bake at 800-601-8418 July 3, 2007: Infantino recalled Shape Sorting Toy Castles after receiving four reports of children nearing choking on the colored counting beads that can slide off the toy. The recall only includes castles with the following date codes: 5349, 6087, 6132 and 0906. The toys were sold at Wal-Mart, Target, Marshalls, Meijer and other specialty retailers nationwide from January 2006 to May 2007 for about $12. Contact Infantino at 888-808-3111. June 28, 2007: Target recalled the Play Wonder Toy Barbecue Grill because the circular ash tray attached to the stainless steel legs of the grill could contain sharp edges, posing a laceration risk. The sets sold at Target Stores nationwide from December 2006 to February 2007 for about $20. Contact Target at 800-440-0680.

Mattel Announces New Toy Recall