Parents, Toy Companies Stress After Recall

Frantic Search For Tainted Products Begins After Fisher-Price Recalls Nearly 1 Million Chinese-Made Toys

(CBS/AP)  Wendy Schneider-Fisher is nervous about what toys to buy her children.

"I'm less inclined to buy anything from China," said Schneider-Fisher, of New Albany, Ohio, who was heading into a local Toys 'R' Us on Thursday. "And I'm upset our government doesn't do more to stop it."

Schneider-Fisher's comments reflect the quandary many American parents face after the world's largest toy company, Mattel Inc., recalled almost 1 million Chinese-made toys because they may contain lead.

As if fears over contaminated toothpaste, poisoned pet food and faulty tires weren't enough, the latest recall of Chinese-made products has anxious parents rummaging through toy chests to find tainted Big Birds and Dora the Explorer toys.

It also has stressed-out toy companies, which are going through their inventory to see if their products are harmless. And it has China, again, insisting that its products are safe.

On Thursday, Mattel's Fisher-Price brand announced it is recalling 83 types of toys — including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters — because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead. The recall involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys made by a Chinese vendor and sold in the United States between May and August.

Under current U.S. regulations, children's products found to have more than 0.06 percent of lead are subject to a recall.

Mattel says it is investigating why the manufacturer did not follow company rules and use paint "from approved and certified suppliers," reports CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes.

'They actually entrusted the testing of these toys to the actual factory that was producing them," says Don Mays of Consumer Reports. "We think that that was a mistake."

For parents, replacing the tainted toys with ones they trust are safe could pose a problem: 80 percent of all toys are made in China.

"It seems like everything's from China. But if I could find a similar toy that was American-made, I would definitely buy it even if it cost more," said Allen Mayne, of Columbus, Ohio., who was shopping at a local Toys 'R' Us for his 9-year-old daughter.

"I think it would be in everyone's best interests to look for American-made products, stuff you can feel confident about, stuff that's just not the cheapest junk that you can get," he said

With discounters like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. waging price wars, the pressure has been on toy companies to cut costs by producing cheaper toys in China. With exceptions like Mattel, which estimates that about 50 percent of its production in China is made in company-owned plants, many toy companies turn to contract factories, a cheaper alternative.

Thursday's toy recall follows the June recall by RC2 Corp. of 1.5 million wooden railroad toys and set parts from its Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line because of lead paint. Those toys were also made in China.

Industry experts are worried there will be more toy recalls to come, and fear parents will be more skeptical when buying holiday toys, even avoiding Chinese products altogether.

"Everyone is concerned that this could really undermine the traditional toy business if consumers think that the toys are unsafe," said New York-based toy consultant Chris Byrne.

[kirstinharr]

At what point do we figure out that our middle class is disappearing all because we allowed manufacturing jobs to go to China. The reason they can make things for less money is not only labor so cheap it should be called "prison" labor but they have no safeguards in place. There is no equivalent of the EPA to ensure they aren't polluting more than acceptable amounts. There are no safety measures of any kind in place to protect our children, our pets or ourselves as consumers. Vote in 2008 for ANY candidate willing to bring the jobs back to America!

[timberagain]

Corporations have once again traded our health and well-being for bigger profits.

The CEOs really need bigger yachts, jets and eventually golden parachutes when they leave the mess behind.

Pathetic.

[blancadebree]

The free market works! By manufacturing toys in China, Fisher-Price saves money. Of course they no longer need workers here in the United States, if they are importing toys from China. They can cut those jobs here in the United States, but those people laid off by Fisher-Price can work for Wal-Mart. By working for Wal-Mart they can earn a generous discount on already low-priced, manufactured-in-China toys. These lead-laden toys are then played with by the children of these employees, damaging their brains, and thus ensuring another generation of low-skill, low-wage workers who can polish the fenders of my high-priced luxury car. God bless our free market, and God bless the man who made it all possible. Is it too early to talk about repealing the 22nd Amendment?

[olebd]

Enough is enough. The free trade agreements through the years have proven themselves to be disasterous not only for the middle class but for all of America. How many strikes can we give China without losing any sleep at night? Bring it all back to the USA and let's become the envy of the world again.

[nothappyatall]

"Bring it all back to the USA and let's become the envy of the world again."

Yeah but people are not going to pay $98.00 for a toy made in America that currently is made in China and sells here for $12.95, just like I won't buy an American shirt for $59.95 when I can get imported shirts just as good for $14.95

The lead scare like the mercury scare are largely scams- both have been around for decades- both come out of the ground.
You have people being scared to death over 4 MILIGRAMS of mercury in a florescent bulb and paying thousands for haz-mat cleanups, ths is pure krap designed to extract as much money out of the dumb sheeple as they can.
Lead has been removed from all gasoline for years, all housepaints for 30 years and toys 30 years ago, all those metal train sets etc all had lead paint. So with the gas and housepaints devoid of lead, the 1/3 that may be left is 1/3 what it WAS and people did just fine in the 50s and 60s the way things were lead paint, mercury thermometers and all.
Just don't eat your peeling housepaint for breakfast and dont break your mercury thermometer in your azz and don't worry about it.

[gabbysmomrs]

How about boycotting the Olympics? I know it would have a huge affect on our athletes, but we've done it before and I believe it is time to do it again. This would really hurt the Chinese economy, of course we're only one country, but perhaps others would join us. Chinese goods are threatening ... more and more often...to kill or making people ill all over the world. To say nothing of their workers. All of this so our companies can save money. Maybe refusing to purchase Chinese-made items would hurt them where they live.

[gabbysmomrs]

How about boycotting the Olympics? I know it would have a huge affect on our athletes, but we've done it before and I believe it is time to do it again. This would really hurt the Chinese economy, of course we're only one country, but perhaps others would join us. Chinese goods are threatening ... more and more often...to kill or making people ill all over the world. To say nothing of their workers. All of this so our companies can save money. Maybe refusing to purchase Chinese-made items would hurt them where they live.

[gmond]

Just another big tax write-off for Mattel, must have been a slow year.

[cantshutup]

if manufacturers are soooooo profit greedy that they'd put Americans at risk for cheap production then maybe we could put them all out of business...kids today have too much junk to keep them occupied that they can't be creative and imaginative like a normal child should be...

how bout instead of outsourcing every D*amn thing to china, we use our prison system??? just think of all the potential citizens that could be arrested to keep our spoiled little tykes in toys!

[gabbysmomrs]

As I read it the writer who posted just before I did, at 9:09 pm today, believes mercury and lead based paint are not an issue here...BUT China doesn't have rules regulating the elements and chemical materials used in their manufacturing. As for our people doing fine in the 50s and 60s can we possibly know what happened to people during those years...there was still lead paint in older homes, there were kids who took Mercury out of broken thermometers in containers and pouring it out on a table...what a magnet that was. It was so pretty and it was neat to stick our fingers in it to see it come apart. Touching mercury is not the only threat. Just breathing it can cause big problems for us.
Bringing goods into our homes from countries that have no rules about what they use. If we think we can regulate that we're nuts. So, these things bring us back to the "good" old days when kids chewed on lead painted toys, etc.

[missingamerica]

This is the kind of thing I think of everytime I hear somebody say something about "too much regulation in America" or "America job losses result from over-regulation".

Greed seems to affect people the same no matter where they live in the world: Money often becomes more important to susceptable people than the lives of you and yours.

That is why in the last 100 years we in America have found that we HAD to have regulation; the fact that so many of America's far right bemoan its existance here is silent proof that were our regulations hollow or non-existant as they are in China, the same deadly manufacturing practices would be followed here.

[incog-nito]

Don't worry, keep buying foreign and ship jobs overseas. The effect of toxic chemicals will not be apparent until many years from now, by which time the statute of limitations would have been long expired, so you won't be able to sue for compensation anyway.

[incog-nito]

Don't worry, keep buying foreign and ship jobs overseas. The effect of toxic chemicals will not be apparent until many years from now, by which time the statute of limitations would have been long expired, so you won't be able to sue for compensation anyway.

[incog-nito]

Don't worry, keep buying foreign and ship jobs overseas. The effect of toxic chemicals will not be apparent until many years from now, by which time the statute of limitations would have been long expired, so you won't be able to sue for compensation anyway.

[barbaraf4]

Okay, petfood, toothpaste, and now toys. I can remember when we recognized the fact that everything imported from China was junk. Are there any regulations in these free trade agreements?

[incog-nito]

Don't worry, keep buying foreign and ship jobs overseas. The effect of toxic chemicals will not be apparent until many years from now, by which time the statute of limitations would have been long expired, so you won't be able to sue for compensation anyway.

[spiel1958]

Just go shopping at a dollar store. You can smell the toxic pollutants.

[incog-nito]

Wonderful. Americans manage to lose manufacturing jobs to other countries while at the same time get poisoned by their products, all to save a few bucks on cheap junk while the cost of health care, child care, education go through the roof.

[mh4cbs1]

Hey stop all your whinning! You get what you vote for.

This is globalization in action. The fascist Chinese were given 'most favored' trade status by Clinton, who also brought us NAFTA.

When will Americans realize that their elected officials represent American Corporations, not American Citizens? As Ralph Nader says, capitol hill is "corporate occupied territory".

Vote Green Party (gp.org) and at least you can live knowing you voted your values: citizen control of democracy, economic justice, a sustainable economy, and no more needless War!

[prinzowhales]

Good old lead! They thought they were done with you when they banned you in gas. 'knew you'd find a way back into our hearts, minds, liver, kidneys...And, now, with all the vaccines with trace mercury--and those with many times the 'safe' level--you have a friend with which to work synergistically...Look! There's Mr. Aluminum and Ms. Fluoride...What a great couple! One helps the other cross the blood brain barrier and--Look Out... its amyloid plaques all round!!...Boy, oh, boy, there's going to be a head bangin' time in the old schoolhouse today! Don't worry about a thing...if you start to aching...take some Vioxx...tens of thousands of satisfied Merck customers feel nothing at all...nothing ever again.

[tbweb]

Is it me or are we under attack from China? Why all of this now, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, all at the same time? Hopefully Chinese weapons are this bad as well, but that's right, China has Russian weapons don't they, like Iran! Good old North Pole Stealing Russia, the World better watch out, next Russia will be claiming the Moon too!

[randalds]

Posted by ibsteve2u at 09:46 PM : Aug 01, 2007

Tom DeLay was once asked if he could think of a single government regulation that he wouldn't get rid of and he said no, not a one. Some republicans talk about deregulation when running for office and it always gets big applause because they've convinced many Americans that the government is somehow evil and wrong all of the time, but think about what it'd be like in America with no FDA, EPA, OSHA, Child Labor Laws, the Clean Air Act or Clean Water laws. Disease would skyrocket (and no health help from the government) and our average life expectancy would drop back down into the 40's. Of course big business would be rich and the rich would live long and prosper because they'd be able to afford what 99% of the rest of us couldn't and for them that's all that counts. Big government is not the enemy, bad government is!

[incog-nito]

To all the people who blame the Chinese through their thinly veiled prejudice, let me repeat one more time. Standards in China have ALWAYS been low or nonexistent. It's the AMERICAN companies such as Mattel (parent of Fisher Price) who have chosen to move their operations to China PRECISELY because of the cheap labor AND the aforementioned lack of health and safety standards, taking American jobs with them. If you must blame someone, blame your revered and beloved corporations for taking your jobs and poisoning you in the process.

[randalds]

If you must blame someone, blame your revered and beloved corporations for taking your jobs and poisoning you in the process.
Posted by incog-nito at 01:00 AM : Aug 02, 2007

Amen, it's time Americans started to realize that there are no more "American" companies any longer. From oil companies to cars to food to children's toys, these companies are all now international, global, and could care less about Americans. Certainly no more so then they do about any other consumers anywhere else in the world. Americans also ought to realize that this same attitude is the one that the big business supporters in the republican party also follow. People like Bush and Cheney and their buddies in war contracting and big oil are NOT Americans! They are internationalists first and last and any of them would take a giant dump on any and all Americans if it turned them a profit.

[erasmus6]

Surely no one is surprised by this, are they? I bet there has been lead in those toys forever and a million others. They are just testing more things now because of everything else that has been happening. There has been I don't know how many cases of lead being in kids jewelry for years so you would have thought when that happened they would have been testing for lead more often. I bet EVERYTHING has lead in it. There was a recall of plastic mini blinds years ago because there was lead in them. I bet that everything in the dollar stores has lead in it, even the dishes. Any dishes that don't have dishwasher safe on them probably have lead in them.

[coffeehead-2009]

They are just testing more things now because of everything else that has been happening.



uhhh-

The Bush administration's nomination of Michael Baroody to head the Consumer Products Safety Commission
Public Citzen President Joan Claybrook explains the opposition:

Michael Baroody has spent years at the heart of the industry trade association that lobbied the CPSC to weaken consumer safety rules, including the one on disclosure of known safety defects described above. NAM's record is one of unrelenting hostility to the safety of consumers, including small children. Baroody should not be confirmed to lead a safety agency that has a vital role in protecting American families.

[trillion1]

US companies know that China will lie,cheat, steal and kill to make a buck. Something they don't want to admit to, to make a profit. Kind of like bush with torture.

[luckygirl042]

...but think about what it'd be like in America with no FDA, EPA, OSHA, Child Labor Laws, the Clean Air Act or Clean Water laws.
Posted by RandalDS at 12:12 AM : Aug 02, 2007


I never really thought about it--but boy, you got that right.
The worst of it is, is if you go out and try to "buy American" it's almost impossible.
I once read that the strongest and fastest rising stocks were the various dollar stores.
I wish we could all get together and start boycotting these crappy little places. But I know it'll never happen.

[macusweil]

When will corporate America wake up?? Corporate executives need to realize you get what you pay for !!

Outsourcing manufacturing short cuts US consumer protections and safeguards that on paper saves BIG $$ money for BIG business, but in reality it costs more for everyone.

* consumers are hurt by unsafe products
* companies suffer loss of reputation
* companies must pay to settle legal issues
* US labor is hurt by lost jobs

[ov442]

what scares me most is that this is a major player in the toy industry and yet there are hundreds of 'no name' manufacturers selling toys to Americans through places like Wal-Mart, and dollar stores for peanuts but i can guarantee there would be far less scrutinization by these almost invisible companies importing and reselling to those retailers.

[rushlimpdrug]

. Vote in 2008 for ANY candidate willing to bring the jobs back to America!
Posted by kirstinharr

I agree. Is there one?

[drummer94]

Fisher-Price; An all American company: Made in China. And America goes.......... SIGH.

[omega39-2009]

Vote in 2008 for ANY candidate willing to bring the jobs back to America!
Posted by kirstinharr

I agree. Is there one?
Posted by rushlimpdrug at

Dennis Kucinich is the only one that has stood up and said he would get rid of NAFTA and the WTO. Hillary by contrast has went before Silicon Valley executives and promised to raise the H1B1 caps.

[antoniof123]

What did you think would happen when you take a place that has is 50 years behind us in infastructure they don't have the same laws as us and you want them to be like us too bad you have been mislead once again.

[omega39-2009]

However, that Easy Bake Oven & Tickle Me Elmo will probably triple in price!! U.S. workers/manufacturers would likely meld into a giant union, and ruin the industry JUST LIKE THE AUTO WORKERS DID!
Posted by seandgreen

Seandgreen, before wall street started demanding obscene growth rates, and before regulatory measures spurring competition by limiting mergers were completely ignored, and well before "golden parachutes", almost everything we used was produced in this country. We had a vibrant middle class that enjoyed job security, pensions, health benefits and homeownership. The claim by the zillionaires that there isn't enough money to go around and Americans are overpriced is just a bunch of hot air.

[pdhlondon]

Let's all do the math together....

We start by exporting jobs to China in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs. This results in increased local unemployment, a lower tax base for the State and higher unemployment and welfare costs for those left with jobs.

Next, add in the social and political costs of creating a generation of unemployed and unemployable American and Canadian citizens - not to mention the money wasted on retraining programs that have little or no value: After all, if these unemployed workers were suitable for jobs as accountants and computer programmers, they would have never taken factory jobs in the first place.

Finally, add in the cost of the recall, the lost revenue opportunities and the legal suits against offshore suppliers. And, don't forget the loss of reputation to the company in the marketplace.

Now, add it all up and convince yourself that exporting jobs to a country with a proven record of exporting bad food, drugs and manufactured goods is a good idea.

Wake up folks. Balanced trade is one thing. Exporting our health and welfare is another.

[pastdue1]

However, he expressed concern about how the recall and other toy recalls will play out in consumers' minds in advance of the holiday season.
Maybe the American consumer will note how "American" corporations are raping the American people. They want bigger and bigger profits so they can pay their CEOs bigger and bigger salaries and bonuses, all the while, putting more and more middle class Americans into poverty. They need to be ashamed for inflicting yet another poor product onto the American public. These companies are not run by true Americans, they are the least patriotic and loyal citizens in our country and should never be admired.

Bashing China.
China is the enemy.
Inferior products from China.

This is EXACTLY what BushCo wants you to believe. We did this to Cuba, Viet Nam, France and on and on. When Saddam didn't give BushCo what they wanted, we waged war and so far have killed over a million innocent people.

China is a threat because they left us in the dust economically and have us by the balls, BushCo is blacklist their meats and other products and set them up as the enemy in Americans eyes. Who's next?

China isn't the problem...America is the problem. Mattel didn't do their job, other US corporations are cutting expenses, not inspecting products and our government is sitting on the job as well. When only 1% of our imported foods are inspected, you know we're in trouble. At any point, we can put any country or US manufacturer under the microscope and find more than enough to put them out of business with us, if they don't do what BushCo wants.

The Minneapolis bridge that collapsed yesterday is an example of our infrastructure falling apart. Why? Because our money is diverted to funding an illegal war and lining the pockets of BushCo and the elites, rather than fixing our infrastructure, improving education and helping our citizens. You can expect more roads and bridges to collapse - think Katrina.

We need to be complaining to our government, politicians and corporations - not blame other countries. If we do our job, they will be forced to do theirs.

http://zeitgeistmovie.com/

[missingamerica]

omega39 is right: "before wall street started demanding obscene growth rates, and before regulatory measures spurring competition by limiting mergers were completely ignored, and well before "golden parachutes", almost everything we used was produced in this country. We had a vibrant middle class that enjoyed job security, pensions, health benefits and homeownership."

Then along came Reagan and the Republicans. Look up the change in income inequality since 1980; it paints a precise picture of when greed began to destroy America.

[generey]

Has anyone stopped to think about the fact that ALL "world leaders" grew up chewing on lead painted toys??? As well as Hitler, Charles Manson, Tim McVeigh, etc etc etc. Interesting.

[zootallures2]

Cheap penny pinching Americans strike again.

[blazercoach1]

ibsteve,

It may have started with Reagan (actually, Nixon, Ford, and Carter) but it was also a cornerstone of Clinton foreign policy. This is something he is CHAMPIONED for is foreign policy circles....dealing diplomatically through economics. Sharing the economic wealth is a very valid method of gaining friends abroad.

You may debate whether or not we have done it responsibly, but to blame one side of the aisle or the other is, quite frankly, demonstrating a poorly informed opinion. Both sides advocate "outsourcing". One does it to bring down costs and the other does it as a measure of sharing the wealth.

[candy-apple]

Do you think this type of thing would continue to happen if these products were "Made in America"?

It appears as if the Chinese manufacturers could care less about what they are using in products intended to be shipped to America. It's time to bring these companies back home!!

[incog-nito]

A few years back Radio Flyer, maker of the red wagon toys, an American symbol and something every kid grows up with, closed down all domestic factories and move their operations to, where else, China.

The manufacturing base is quickly disappearing, and Americans will suffer for it. Manufacturing is the backbone of the economy, creating wealth by adding value to raw material and selling it. Manufacturing is what made Japan, a tiny country with little natural resources, one of the richest nations.

What's more, America is starting to lose on the technology front also, not graduating enough scientists and engineers. Kids nowadays just want to get rich quick and skip the hard courses by going to business school. Well the economy won't go very far if everybody is a manager, salesperson, or paper-pusher.

[my2centss]

Our country was built and made strong by manufacturing and farming. When they are gone, we are in trouble.

[rushlimpdrug]

America is . . . not graduating enough scientists and engineers. . . . Well the economy won't go very far if everybody is a manager, salesperson, or paper-pusher.
Posted by incog-nito

Hillary by contrast has went before Silicon Valley executives and promised to raise the H1B1 caps.
Posted by omega39

These are excellent points -
I believe it is total helll for "regular" parents to afford sending kids to college. It may never have been easy, but higher education for American kids has not been a priority to scum politicians for quite some time.

[mainemade]

Not to be repetative but again..Can anyone please explain to me why business with China is a good thing?? Seems to me they are trying, in any possible way, to poison us all. And with all the *** made in China its almost impossible to avoid any and all of their products or ties to their/our products. Bring back "Made in USA"! Maybe our unemployment rates and homeless rates might change a whole lot if these cheap labor, poisoning, sweat-shop countries!

[susieq_13]

Let's start making these toys in the USA instead of in another country. Also, why is a toy company using lead based paint when they shouldn't be? That makes no sense to me. Maybe I'm just ignorant, I don't know.

[ecuadoriana]

"Bashing China. China is the enemy...This is EXACTLY what BushCo wants you to believe. We did this to Cuba, Viet Nam, France and on and on. When Saddam didn't give BushCo what they wanted, we waged war and so far have killed over a million innocent people..." Posted by mariony at 10:14 AM : Aug 02, 2007

Whew, someone who makes some sense! Thank you, mariony.

Now, rather than everyone immediately turning to bash mariony & myself, stop & think about how much we're all not so much dependent on mass manufacturing from other countries, but rather how we've allowed ourselves to become hypnotised by our greed for more so that we've allowed ourselves to become dependent on mass manufacturing. We've become a nation of believing that we want & need more of basically nothing important & wanting it now & for as cheap as possible.

Why on earth are we buying so much plastic cr@p in the first place? Does one really need so much stuff? How many toys can one kid play with? Multiply that by millions of people & it becomes an endless track of junk that we later toss into the landfills while replenishing our homes & lives with more junk!

If we're complaining about other countries' manufacturing processes not living up to our standards then we are being disingenuous, because we've set the standard. We demand more cr@p & that's just what we get.

[galaxiana]

It's worth noting that CBS was one of the news agencies that broke the embargo requested by the manufacturers, posting this story Tuesday evening in an effort to get a "scoop" on the other news agencies.

There is a fine balance between "working with" your sources and betraying them. Mattel/Fisher-Price could have simply held off on releasing ANY information, but they gave it out early, asking the news agencies to honor a release date and time, so that the news agencies would have time to prepare stories and properly investigate. Of course, the company wanted time also to set up its hotline and get more product off the shelves, so it worked for both sides' benefit.

One has to wonder why CBS couldn't act ethically in its pursuit of a scoop. Is the best scoops they can get the ones handed to them by a press release? That's sad...