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Mattel recalls may help some toy makers
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Recall information |
Are your kids' toys safe? To find out if a product you own has been recalled, you can try searching the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s database here. Concerned parents and caregivers also can sign up to received an e-mail alert when a new product recall is made public. To sign up, click here. To find out if a toy you own was part of the Mattel recall, and get information about obtaining a voucher for the cost of the product, click here. |
Stores and toy makers are also adjusting their marketing efforts amid parents' concerns about Chinese-made products.
FAO Schwarz has begun putting up small signs throughout its two stores in New York and Las Vegas that indicate the products' country of origin.
Little Tikes, acquired last November by MGA Entertainment, the maker of Bratz dolls, will be highlighting its American heritage on bigger labels starting in November, according to Chief Executive Issac Larian.
He believes that Little Tikes could pick up some market share from Fisher-Price. He also thinks that its Bratz dolls, which are made in China but have not been caught up in any recalls, could get a boost if parents shy away from Barbie products after the recall of some Barbie accessories. Barbie dolls were not included in Mattel's recall on Tuesday.
Last March, Little Tikes recalled about 20,800 dinosaur and doggie flashlights because of lead paint, but Larian said that was before his company owned the brand. About 70 percent of Little Tikes' products are made in the U.S.
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Still, while Larian and other toy executives say they may benefit from the woes of others, there are fears that concerns about the recalls could taint all brands.
"This is giving a black eye to the industry," said Larian. "People are going to be afraid of buying toys in general."
Amid such concerns, the U.S. Toy Industry Association said Wednesday it supports a federal requirement to make safety testing and inspection mandatory and is working with the American National Standards Institute to develop industrywide safety procedures. The TIA said it hopes to develop and standardize procedures that will be used by the industry to verify that products comply with U.S. safety codes.
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