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Filed Under Toy Safety

My husband sent me an email the other day about a settlement regarding some Fisher-Price and Mattel toys that were recalled due to high lead content. A lot of these toys are smaller sets that are more for older kids, ones who should know better than to put them in their mouths. But because we realize that a lot of families have older kids and younger kids at the same time, you never want to find out that any of your toys had high contents (or any contents for that matter) of lead. There are also a few toys for babies and younger toddlers on this list as well. You can access the entire pdf copy of the list at the Mattel Settlement website. It gives you all of the instructions you need to take the proper action if any toys you have are on this list.

Before all of this lead and BPA stuff became such a hot topic, I was such a HUGE fan of Fisher-Price toys. We had tons of the brightly colored plastic littering nearly every square inch of our family room and play room. But when they started to treat their customers as if we were naive and acting super secretive about the materials they used, I’ve stood my ground on not buying anything from Fisher-Price. I have to tell you, it’s been hard. Their products make up the majority of the conventional toy market and they’re so visually appealing to kids, just sitting there on the shelves. My mother has been the one to cave and buy some stuff for the kids, against my wishes, and my son LOVES Matchbox and Hot Wheels like every other 3 year old boy. They make their way into our home from relatives. But I have firmly stood my ground about giving them any of my hard earned money. And until they start treating their customers with respect and stop playing the innocent victim in regards to lead in their toys, I refuse to buy anything Fisher-Price for my kids.

Posted by: Statia on March 12, 2010

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Comments

3 Responses to “Fisher-Price and Mattel Settlement”

gerti on March 12th, 2010 5:21 pm

I am with you! Once a company gets more concerned about their profit than the health of children there is no way I will ever trust them again. I actually try to avoid plastic toys if I can. The only plastic toy we “allow” in our house are Legos but I usually buy those used. Our family slowly starts to understand our point of view and last Christmas our son actually got more wooden toys. One nice side effect was that since wooden toys are so much more expensive than plastic toys he got much less which I think is better anyway.
courtney dixon on March 13th, 2010 3:53 pm

Hasbro has to be included in this group as well. It is hard to resist the Star Wars and Transformer toys but being honest with the kids helps them understand. Oh, and repeating the reason over and over. It is insidious that toy makers would subject kids to hazardous materials. I also tell the kids about the mostly young women who have to work in the factories that are also getting poisoned.
Janet P on March 13th, 2010 5:08 pm

So sad to see this from such an icon in the toy industry. Hopefully they begin to make better choices soon. One of the reasons I’ve worked with Discovery Toys for the past 21 years is the enormous focus on safety. 31 years old now and we’ve NEVER had a safety recall. That’s a record we are proud of and take great steps to protect. Yeah for other companies who take such great pride in safety as well!