Mattel Issues Yet Another Whopper of a Toy Recall

Even as the Chinese government in preparing to take journalists on a ‘tour’ of its toy making regions to show that the working conditions are safe and the entire lead scare is unjustified, Mattel Inc. issued another recall of Chinese-made toys believed to have excessive lead levels.

Mattel said it was issuing a third recall involving around 844,000 toys worldwide. Of these, U.S. recalls alone accounted for 522,000, with the remaining 322,000 being recalled from various parts of the world.

The company’s website hosted a statement to the effect that the recall was for eight pet and furniture sets. These toys were part of the Barbie toy ensemble, a very popular brand among kids the world over. Another three toys being marketed currently under the Fisher-Price label were also being recalled, the statement said.

The statement did not say anything about Barbie dolls themselves being recalled. In recent months, there have been overwhelming concerns globally regarding the presence of hazardous levels of lead in toys and other children-related items manufactured in China.

Lead consumption in any form, direct or indirect, can cause brain damage in children, one of the main reasons for the concern being showed globally. After all, you would not want the fancy toy you bought for your kid to be the cause of his or her suffering, would you?

Ever since the discovery of excessive lead in toy products, we have been seeing a spate of recalls by different toy makers. Mattel recalled 129 Chinese-manufactured toys from the market on 14 August, 2007.

The reason for the recall was the presence of lead in quantities way above the permissible limits. Another reason for this recall was the presence of small magnets that children could detach from the toys and swallow whole.

Prior to that, in the beginning of August, the Fisher-Price division of Mattel, Inc. had also issued a similar recall of 1.5 million toys featuring such toy characters as Dora the Explorer, Big Bird, and others after the detection of excessive levels of lead in the paint on these toys.

Mattel said the repeated recalls were because of the company following a vigorous policy of scrutiny when it came to manufacturing of toys. In a statement, Mattel Inc’s chairman and CEO said the company would continue the scrutinization process to ensure their toys were safe and of reliable quality.