Annual 'Worst Toys' List Released By Consumer Safety Group
BOSTON (CBS/AP) — A Black Panther "slash claw" and a plastic Power Rangers sword are among the toys topping a consumer safety group's annual list of worst toys for the holiday season. Massachusetts-based World Against Toys Causing Harm, or W.A.T.C.H., unveiled its list Tuesday at a Boston children's hospital.
A Nerf gun, a Cabbage Patch Kids doll, and a xylophone for infants made the list, along with a plush doll that comes with a small kitten as an accessory, a stomp rocket, and a pillow pet that lights up.
The nonprofit organization's president, Joan Siff, says many of the toys represent choking, eye and other safety hazards that surface year after year.
A plastic knife sold with magnetic fruit could "cause puncture wounds and other blunt force trauma injuries," said W.A.T.C.H.
A pull-along dog on wheels was cited for its 19-inch sting and lack of warning to parents.
- Read the full list: W.A.T.C.H.'s 2018 Nominees for "10 Worst Toys"
The Toy Association, a toy industry trade group, says the annual list is biased and inaccurate.
"Toys manufacturers have to comply with over rigorous safety tests and standards. Then the toy has to be certified by an independent and federally approved testing lab. We think it's really unfortunate when a group comes out, doesn't test the toys, and claims that they are dangerous," said Jennifer Gibbons, the V.P. of state government affairs for the Toy Association.
W.A.T.C.H. has been releasing its list for more than four decades.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)