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WATCH'S REPORT CARD:
REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLING OF CHANGES RESULTING FROM EFFORTS OF WATCH
 
PRODUCT
DESCRIPTION
PERFORMANCE
PROGRESS
STRANGULATION HAZARD:      
"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 brought by Swartz 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.
   
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