PRODUCT

DESCRIPTION

PERFORMANCE

PROGRESS

Animal Alley Purse Pet (Geoffrey Inc./Toys R Us)

Soft, colorful pony sold for infants.

The toy has long, fiber-like hair that is not adequately rooted presenting the potential for ingestion or aspiration injuries.

Names in 2008 “10 Worst Toys” List; Toys R Us “immediately” pulled the toys from their shelves nationwide after the list was announced.

Brio’s Curious George (Brio AB)

Curious George doll dressed in “astronaut” outfit with several attachments, sold for 18-month-old babies.

Sold with small, soft “mobile phone” attached by cord to removable backpack, presenting choking hazard; sold without warnings.

Named in 2001 “10 Worst Toys” list; CPSC recalled the item in December, less than three weeks later.

Sky Dancers (Galoob Toys)

Doll with helicopter-like arms spins off launcher.

Doll flies off launcher unpredictably, striking children in face and eyes.

Named in 1996 “10 Worst Toys” list; CPSC recalled the item in 2000.

Star Wonders (Placo Toys)

Doll with helicopter-like arms spins off launcher.

Doll flies off launcher unpredictably, striking children in face and eyes.

Named in 1996 “10 Worst Toys” list; CPSC recalled the item in 1997.

Popeye Doll

(Distr. by Presents; a division of Hamilton Gifts Co.)

One foot high doll with a removable pipe.

Inadequate labeling on toys warning of choke hazard to young children; pipe in direct violation of small parts federal regulations.

Named in 1989 "10 Worst Toys” list; CPSC recalled item the very next year.

F.A.O. Schwarz Slugger Bear (exclusive design by North American Bear Co.)

8" Plush stuffed bear, sold with ambiguous age recommen-dation.

Inadequate labeling on toys warning of potential choking hazard to young children; detachable bat, buttons, loose ribbons, all in direct violation of the CPSC small parts regulations and the Hazardous Substance Act.

Named in 1991 "10 Worst Toys” list; CPSC recalled the item in March of 1991.

Puffalump Snuggle Light Doll (Fisher Price)

12" cuddly crib doll dressed in pajamas and a sleep cap.

Sleep Cap has long tail with satiny ball attached to the end, recommended by manufacturer for infants birth and up: 2- AAA batteries in housing secured by screws and covered by velcro closure -choking and burning hazards.

Named in 1992 "10 Worst Toys" list; CPSC recalled the item in August 1993; Child Safety Protection Act now requires specific regulations for sale of products to children under age 3 -- warning labels must clearly state hazards and signs must be posted at point-of-sale.

PROJECTILE TOYS:

PRODUCT

DESCRIPTION

PERFORMANCE

PROGRESS

General

Darts, missiles, arrows, air-pumped ball launchers, and more.

Manufactured with sharp points that can blind or injure innocent bystanders; pressurized launchers can bruise, maim and blind.

Manufacturers have converted sharp edges to soft, pliable rubber or foam tips; launchers still remain problematic (See e.g. “10 Worst Toys” 1998).

"M-60 Automatic Assault Lazer"

(Royal Condor; SRM Company)

Toy replica of real life M-60 automatic assault  rifles, machine guns and assault weapons.

Life-like weapon designs with realistic belt for automatic bullet feed, promotes violence in playthings.

Named in 1994 "10 Worst Toys" list; distributors, manufacturers & retailers instituted buy-back & trade-in programs; states have made possession of such toys on school grounds a criminal offense; design changes instituted to move away from realism; problems still exist.

Kenner Colorblaster

3-D spray-art design toy.

Plastic design; bright pastel & florescent colors are far from the realistic designs of the past, but poor design in certain models poses danger.

CPSC recalls Colorblaster 5/95; pump action initiates spray; over pumping causes base to explode; defective design; severe injuries reported to CPSC.

“The Simpsons Bart Action Set” (Manley Toy Quest)  (sold by Toys R Us)

Slingshot sold with “action set.”

Slingshot capable of forcefully firing plastic balls with which it is sold, as well as other hurtful objects.

Named in 2000 “10 Worst Toys” list; as result, and with Attorney General’s response, retailer “has taken the steps necessary to prevent the sale” of this toy as of December, 2000.

“Supremo Slingshot” (Prime Time Toys, Ltd.) (sold by Toys R Us)

Slingshot sold as toy.

Packaging claims “can only launch foam balls,” yet also cautions against shooting other harmful objects.

Named in 2003 “10 Worst Toys” list; as result, and with Attorney General’s response, retailer issued a nationwide recall as of December 30, 2003, requesting consumers to bring them back to the store for a full refund. 

RIDING TOYS:

PRODUCT

DESCRIPTION

PERFORMANCE

PROGRESS

“Power Wheels” (Fisher Price)

Battery powered ride-on toys

Batteries are prone to overheating; has caused 150 fires; batteries are not appropriate for children of the recommended ages of   2-7.

1988 “10 Worst Toys” list presented hazards inherent in this type of toy; the CPSC recalled up to 10 million “Power Wheels” in October 1998.

"Lion King” (Buddy L Inc.)

Battery powered, low-slung,

4-wheeled vehicle.

Fault lies in recommending use for ages 1-3; no adequate safety restraints on this push-button activated toy car -- warning labels useless here -- safe design is the missing ingredient.

Named in 1994 "10 Worst Toys" list; according to the CPSC 46,200 children were injured on riding toys in 1993.

"Big Wheels" and similar plastic tricycles

(Louis Marx Co.; Empire of Carolina, Inc.; A.M.F.; and other manufacturers)

Plastic child-size tricycles designed low to the ground and often without brakes.

The low proximity of the toy to the ground prevents motorists from seeing children riding this toy.

WATCH has repeatedly mentioned these dangerous toys, but to date, the manufacturers have not altered the design; no recalls issued; incidents of injuries and death have been reported

SMALL PARTS/ CHOKING HAZARD

PRODUCT

DESCRIPTION

PERFORMANCE

PROGRESS

Fire Engine Pull Along Toys

(Sold by F.A.O. Schwarz)

These bright red engines with figurines were sold for children as young as 24 months with no warnings whatsoever.

The heads of the small wood figures could be removed and ingested by oral age children.  Once separated, the pieces violated even the toy industry’s inadequate small parts “choke tube” standard.

Named in 2003 “10 Worst Toys” list; CPSC recalled the items on March 4. 2004.

Spherical objects on toys

Numerous toys sold for children over many years have included small balls and other objects presenting choking hazards.

Small parts have the potential to cause serious choking injuries.

Commencing 1/1/95 Child Safety Protection Act bans balls and spherical objects of less than 1.75" in diameter from being used on toys.

Sales of unidentified toy halted by CPSC

CPSC refuses to identify toy which it determined “failed to meet the small parts requirement”, requesting that manufacturer “stop sale of the product”.

CPSC refuses to specify performance failures of unidentified toy, other than to state failure to meet small parts requirement.

“Phantom Recall” by CPSC in March, 2000 of unidentified toy on 1999 “10 Worst Toys” list with small parts hazard.

"Winnie-the-Pooh Wooden Pull Toys" 

(Charpente, a division of Michel & Company)

(Sold at F.A.O. Schwarz)

Five natural wood animal characters with pull cord and wheels; marketed to children of all ages.

All models have a small ball at the end of an

11" to 13" pull cord that can both choke and strangle small children. 

Some models have easily detachable, natural wood wheels, with an easily ingested wooden axle bar that is 1.25" by .25" in size, presenting a blatant violation of the small parts regulations.

Named in 1995 "10 Worst Toys" list, exposing choking and strangulation threat. In December 1995, CPSC recalls 12,000 of these toy items already sold to unsuspecting consumers.

"Play Family Figurines" (Fisher-Price)

Small painted, plastic figures fit completely into a small child's mouth.

At least 6 deaths and 1 incident of brain damage occurred as a result of blocked airways, before the manufacturer responded to an obvious need for design changes.

Fisher Price, to date, has not recalled any

of these products. Instead, it has quietly re-designed the toys, making them larger in an attempt to minimize the choking hazard.

Fisher Price Little People: Mini Popper and

Mini Vacuum

Pre-school age children's toys.

Fisher Price aware since 1965 of hazards in its "Little People" line, posing risk of choking injury and death; In 1994 it produces a larger version of the figurines but sell this version with hazardous-sized Mini Popper and Mini Vacuum.

Neither the manufacturer nor the CPSC have recalled Fisher Price Little People. Instead, new design has merely been added to the toy shelves.

Several Toy Jewelry items (Oriental Trading Company)

4" heart shape stretchable bracelets; 15" plastic beaded charm necklaces; 6" stretchable charm bracelets.

Traditionally an inexpensive standard plaything and gift item for children under 5.  However, small parts detach from jewelry items, presenting choking hazard.

The CPSC has recalled all of these items, stating in 1993 that they do not meet the U.S. safety standards.

PRODUCT

DESCRIPTION

PERFORMANCE

PROGRESS

Go Diego Go Animal Rescue Boat (Fisher-Price, Inc., a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc.)

Brightly-colored orange and yellow boats sold at retail stores nationwide in 2007.

The surface paints on the toys contain excessive levels of lead.

Named in 2007 “10 Worst Toys” list; tens of thousands of these toys were recalled by the CPSC in late 2007.

Lead Ingestion

Children exposed to lead leaching from their playthings.

Children are placing their fingers and painted toys in their mouths, risking lead poisoning, considered the #1 environmental health danger to children by the Centers for Disease Control (1994).

In 1993 the CPSC limited the amount of lead paint used in toys and other children's articles to 0.6%.

Millions of Toys Recalled (Mattel and Other Manufacturers)

Children exposed to lead in toys, some of which contained 20 times the legal limit for lead.

An unprecedented number of recalls occurred due to a complete failure of government and manufacturer oversight.

In 2007, during the summer months alone, over 20 million imported toys that were manufactured overseas were recalled, including the Go Diego Go Animal Rescue Boat, listed as a “10 Worst Toy” on WATCH’s 2007 list.

STRANGULATION HAZARD:

PRODUCT

DESCRIPTION

PERFORMANCE

PROGRESS

"Sewing Fish & Sewing Car"  (Goula, S.A.)

(Sold by F.A.O. Schwarz)

These flat, painted, seemingly harmless wooden shapes have holes and a cord, for small hands to lace through the holes, like hand-sewing a piece of fabric.

These toys are sold for crib and playpen aged children.  The cord is 46" to 54" in length and when unlaced, cord poses a serious strangulation hazard; entanglement can occur.

Named in 1995 "10 Worst Toys" list for violation of industry’s own minimal standard requirements for length of crib/playpen toy cords and strings (12"). The CPSC and F.A.O. Schwarz immediately issued a national recall of these toys in November 1995.

Soft Triplets & Piglets Crib Gym (Johnson & Johnson Company)

Infant's crib gym (ages birth to 24/mo) with elastic straps to suspend toy between the crib sides.

Elastic strap can become wrapped around infant's throat causing strangulation and death.

Named in 1982 "10 Worst Toy" list after which CPSC recalled the product.

Embo Elephant and Hummbugg Bee Mobiles

(R. Dakin & Company)

Plush stuffed animals with elastic string to suspend from crib.

1979: 11-month old and 8-month old children strangled on the cord.

Named in 1979 "10 Worst Toys" list. It took 3 years for the government to mandate a recall of the 180,000 items, in 6 different shapes, already purchased and in homes.

“Mini-Hammocks” (Various manufacturers and distributors)

Lightweight, portable, thin net hammocks.

Manufactured without spreader bars to hold the hammocks open, thereby enabling the netting to twist around children’s necks as they are getting in or out, resulting in strangulation, brain damage and death.

This product was the focus of a lawsuit on behalf of a brain damaged child who became entangled in the hammock; in May 1996, as a result of this incident and reports of 12 hammock-related deaths, the CPSC recalled 3 million hammocks.

PUNCTURE / LACERATION HAZARD:

PRODUCT

DESCRIPTION

PERFORMANCE

PROGRESS

“Batman Batmobile” (Toy Biz, Inc.)

Toy Vehicles.

Rear tail wings come to a point, posing a potential puncture or laceration hazard.

Named in 1990 “Worst Toys” list. In April, 2004, the CPSC recalled more than 300,000 similar batmobile toys (manufactured by Mattel, Inc.) exhibiting the same hazard, following reports of at least 14 injuries.

PRODUCT

DESCRIPTION

PERFORMANCE

PROGRESS

“Easy Bake Oven”

(Hasbro, Inc.)

Plastic ovens sold as electric “toys.”

Young children can insert their hands into the oven’s opening and get their hand or fingers caught. Poses an entrapment and burn hazard.

Hazards of Easy Bake Ovens identified in 1971 book, Toys That Don’t Care, in 1977 “Worst Toys” List, and again in 1986 book, Toys That Kill. In February 2007, the CPSC recalled about 985,000 similar toy ovens following recent reports of 29 injuries, including 5 reports of burns.

PRODUCT

DESCRIPTION

PERFORMANCE

PROGRESS

Inflatable Baby Floats (Aqua-Leisure Industries)

Inflatable vinyl water floats sold in a variety of colors and shapes

The leg straps in the seats of the floats can tear, causing children to unexpectedly fall into or under the water, posing a risk of drowning.

WATCH issued a warning about these floats during its June 2009 Summer Safety Conference. On July 2, 2009, the CPSC recalled about 4 million floats.