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Maybe it's time to look under your kids' beds.Fisher-Price, a division of toy-maker Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT), is recalling nearly one million plastic pre-school toys because of unsafe levels of lead paint. The toys were painted by a Chinese vendor with whom the company has a long association.
The recall, the second-largest this year involving toys, involves 83 different products made from April 19 through July 6. Toy characters parents (and their pre-school children) will certainly recognize include Elmo, Dora the Explorer, and her pal Diego.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has a full list of the recalled toys here.
This certainly doesn't bode well for China's manufacturing reputation. In recent months, headlines have been made with poison pet food, and toxic toothpaste, all coming out of Chinese factories. In June some one million Thomas the Tank Engine toys were recalled due to the lead paint issue. Bad enough to scare America's millions of pet owners (or those with a fine row of pearly-whites). But when you start selling dangerous merchandise to American parents, it's time to start cracking down on quality control or risk losing lots and lots of business.
According to an article in the New York Times, The Toy Industry Association has been working with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on new regulations that require more stringent safety checks. It's also been suggested that the industry needs the help of the U.S. Government to get China on board and compliant with these regulations.
Click here for Mattel toy recall coverage
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According to an article in the New York Times, The Toy Industry Association has been working with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on new regulations that require more stringent safety checks. It's also been suggested that the industry needs the help of the U.S. Government to get China on board and compliant with these regulations.
Click here for Mattel toy recall coverage
Brian White: Mattel (MAT) toy recall madness continues to escalate
Paul Foster: Option update 8-15-07: Mattel (MAT) toy recall raises volatility
Beth Gaston Moon: Mattel (MAT): Looking into the latest recall
Brent Archer: Go bearish on Mattel (MAT) after expanded recall
Douglas McIntyre: Mattel (MAT) toy recall: More to come?
Michael Fowlkes: Chinese executive found hanged following Mattel (MAT) toy recalls
Hilary Kramer: Mattel, Inc. (MAT): Buy or sell after recall?
Tom Taulli: Mattel toy recall: Lessons for business owners
Douglas McIntyre: Mattel dogged by China problem
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Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
8-06-2007 @ 10:51PM
kathy wu said...
The USA had been bought a lot of items from China. There are many many products are made in China. I am from Taiwan and I used to export a lot of stuffs from Taiwan to the world-wide countries, the USA is one of my customers. I think that the USA government should set up a regulations that will allow everything imported from China be tested and should be met certain standard and quality so that it will not hurt the USA citizens. The USA Ceo's had made a lot of money due to buying things from China which did help the USA economy grow. I used to sell a lot of stuffs from Taiwan to the USA and other countries and ever since the USA move the buying power to China, I actually lose my manager job and I have to come to the USA for school and to live in the USA and now I am an USA citizen. I think that China will not want to hurt the business relationship with the USA. However the USA need to set up a business standard and put it on the import regulations - that every things imported from China need to meet the regualtions-No POISON or Harmful to human body. This regulation will help both countries economy growing.
China business growing is extremely fast and the USA will eventually suffer from it. Because when China is rich the USA will be the richest country in the world but next to China. I do not mean to hurt China, but I do think it will happen in future.
8-08-2007 @ 2:50PM
Donna said...
ONE MORE TIME, BRING BACK THE AMERICAN JOBS.
KEEP IT IN THE U.S.A. WE NEED TO COME BACK HOME,
THESE ARE THE CRIES OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, BUT!!
WHO IS HEARING THESE CRIES. THE GOVERMENT OR WHOEVER CAN NOT SEE THE TRUE FACTS, It is not the american people who need to wake up, it is the ones
who are not hearing our CRY!!!! THE RULERS OF OUR
COUNTRY, YES! RULERS,WE HAVE NO U.S.A. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THINK THEY HAVE A SAY IN WHAT GOES ON IN THIS COUNTRY, BUT WE DON'T.
8-10-2007 @ 12:07AM
JANE said...
I am on owner operator of an online auction site in the USA that started in 1999. The website is fully automated b2b for wholesalers to buy and sell from one another. My point is to tell you that in the last 3 years, the website has been filled with stuff from China and alot is suspected replica, counterfeit. I worked hard to build my business and I have sent letters to my Congressman and Senators and to respective trademark holders to help me police my site from being taken over by the cheap chinese junk and none of them were willing to help.
The trademark holders all told me not to allow their brands on my auction but they were not willing to provide me any help in doing it. I do hold funds for buyers until inspection to help minimize the frauds and counterfeits but let me tell you, it is absolutely out of control. The chinese fakes are getting past customs, somehow by such massive amounts that a small business person like myself can't fight this alone and it has really hurt my business since I spend so much time now dealing with disputes ect...
8-21-2007 @ 3:05PM
fightback said...
It seems all above postings bastint China about their manufactured products. Do you all know, your foreign importers have your own indoor inspectors at every factories in China? Chinese factories must make importers' products per their specifications. Be reasonable, do not blame everything on China. I am one of you and I am one of them, I am Chinese American. Do you know the world much better off if everyone be fair.
8-21-2007 @ 3:15PM
william said...
It seems all above postings basting China about their manufactured products. Have you all know that your foreign importers have their own indoor inspectors at every factories in China? Chinese factories must make importers' products per their specifications. Be reasonable. Do not blame everything on China. I am one of you, I am one of them, and I am Chinese American. Do you know the world much better place if we all be fair.
8-29-2007 @ 3:26PM
Pretzel said...
The time for Americans to wake up is one step closer. You didn't want to see what was slowly happening years ago because it didn't affect you. You didn't care if your neighbor's job left the country as long as yours didn't. As long as you could buy your stuff cheap who cared if another plant closed? Our government doesn't belong to us anymore, either. We were sold to the highest bidder.
10-14-2007 @ 10:22PM
Sandy said...
Here is a helpful website that has a long list of companies that sell American made toys:
http://americanmadetoys.googlepages.com/
10-14-2007 @ 10:23PM
Sandy said...
http://americanmadetoys.googlepages.com/americanmadetoys
has a list of over 75 links that will take you to companies that sell toys MADE IN THE U.S.A.
11-18-2007 @ 6:39PM
ray jablonsky said...
This last recall beats all. It is past time to start firing some of the people in charge here. Enough with the politics from the CEO and time for some real moves and concerns.
The company has had a wonderful reputation for years and to see it all go away due to incompetence and politics is beyond belief.