Except for a small link on the Thomas Web site to RC2's recall announcement, HIT has otherwise acted as if it has nothing to do with the situation. Its executives haven't even said that they regret having been promoting toys with lead paint in them. They haven't said anything publicly.When I suggested to the company's public relations agency, Bender/Helper Impact, that this might not be the smartest approach, the agency e-mailed me a two-sentence unsigned statement. It said that HIT appreciated the concerns of its customers and was working with RC2 on the recall, but that the recall was "clearly RC2's responsibility."
In effect, HIT has outsourced Thomas's image, one of its most valuable assets, to RC2. And RC2 has offered a case study of how not to deal with a crisis, which is all the more amazing when you consider that the company also makes toys for giants like Disney, Nickelodeon and Sesame Street
Here's HIT Entertainment's statement, (they also own the rights to Barney and Bob the Builder, by the way) issued via their PR firm:
We appreciate and understand the concerns of our customers who are affected by RC2's voluntary recall of select items from the Thomas Wooden Railway system.So what do the you think? Whose responsibility is this? If outsourcing is done both to cut costs and defer responsibility if something goes wrong, are consumers OK with that? Are you holding the brand "Thomas the Tank Engine" responsible? Or not? Ultimately, it's your opinion that matters. What is it?—MEGHANN MARCOAlthough it is clearly RC2's responsibility to carry out this recall, we are working closely with them to ensure that consumers are informed and advised, and that all the affected products are recalled swiftly.
A Lesson That Thomas Could Teach [NYT]
HIT Entertainment
HIT Entertainment's Recall Notice
Having said that, I do believe there is some culpability on the part of the RC2. They chose who was going to manufacture the product. If they decided not to have someone verify the quality and safety of their merchandise then that is on their head.
As for HIT, I believe they are taking the right course in stating they are working with RC2 on this problem. They do have a lot to lose if the Thomas brand gets a black eye because of this. But ultimately, it is the responsibility of RC2.
]]>I see this article to be largely about an American trademark holder and their attempts to put the responsibility for a health-impacting quality issue on their licensee, another American company (who, incidentally, outsourced production to China -- but the controversy between the two American companies would be just as legitimate were this a safety issue of some variety having nothing to do with China at all).
The argument, here, is that these folks are allowing their brand to be badly tainted -- but it has nothing to do with China except for the peripheral, incidental circumstances.
]]>Continue to assist in the demise of America and our workforce
Continue to encourage under age workers and unfair labor conditions.
Why would you care? You're making more money than you would ever need.
Maybe you should go back on display in that Moscow park!
]]>Lead paint isn't the kind of thing that gets airborne unless you deliberately are flaking the model locomotive. Asbestos on the real thing, however, is a whole different story.
And we all know how many lawsuits have been filed over asbestos-caused lung cancer ...
]]>Why, just today, there was an article on how all of China emits *as much* carbon dioxide as the United States per year.
And don't even talk about oil consumption. China is up to 7 billion barrels per day! If we don't act fast, our 20 billion barrels per day consumption rate might be in jeopardy.
Given the population difference, one guy in america emits as much carbon dioxide (read: hot air) as 5 chinese, and uses as much oil as 14 guys in china. Yet somehow the *chinese* are the ones to be blamed for the decline of natural resources?
I'm not sure what this has to do with recalled toys, but I'm getting sick of the China bashing here. Lots of toys from china are recalled because lots of toys are made in china. Duh.
The company that hired the manufacturer is to blame at least as much, if not more, than the manufacturer!
I could see your point if it weren't well known that China uses lead in its paint.
Go back and check the U.S. government's list of toy recalls - it's full recalls on toys made in China - sorry, it does always seem to be China, although I suspect that could just be a numbers game - because the paint had lead in it. I've thrown away countless fake jewelry my mom bought from the Dollar Store because of this same issue.
Obviously, if you have something made in a place where the environmental and health standards aren't the same, you should investigate how they're making the toys and other items you intend to sell. For instance, I would never bottle air from my hometown and expect it to be clean.
]]>Whoever has the deepest pockets.
]]>You cannot avoid responsibility by hiring someone else to do your dirty work. It is the bosses responsitiblity to verify the work is up to par.
If you try to save money by outsourcing, you'd better be prepared to spend money inspecting the final product.
Of course, everone is pointing their finger and saying "the buck stops there". Welcome to corporate america, where the executives claim no responsibility for anything that happens under their watch.
]]>I don't care who they hired to make their products, whether it was a US company, a Chinese company, or a bunch of illegal immigrants in someones basement; if you have something made, and plan to sell it, then you'd better be sure they are making what you ask them to.
And unless they asked for bright red lead paint, then they are in deep trouble.
I'm sick and tired of companies selling stuff and recalling it years later. It is a nice and cheap way for them to cut costs at the expense of our health.
A nice $10 test would have shown them the paint contained lead. But they picked the cheap way out, and are now paying the price.
]]>Sure, RC2 would be legally liable, but the root of the problem is China.
It's not really HIT's problem, but they could go a long way to improve their image by responding to this recall. Turns out HIT is the two-bit company I thought they were when I first saw their logo on my son's Wiggles videos. (Think how much Tylenol's image improved when they pulled every bottle because some were poisoned.)
]]>My point is, I don't think either company was out to poison our kids. I think if it's anyone's fault it's the fault of the company who actually made the toys and painted them with lead paint. They knew that those toys weren't safe, and they made them anyway. It's not like lead paint is something that we're just now figuring out is toxic, we've all known about it since the 70's.
Who knows what other crap gets into this country with lead paint and god knows what from china and other places with lax human rights standards. We can't hold the Thomas brand responsible just because they got caught with the smoking gun.
How about we just freaking stop buying things from China for a while since it's become pretty clear that they're trying to kill us with our own capitalism?
]]>Lets find a new country, I grow weary of China's Consumerist takeover.
How about...Italy, I mean, everything from Itally is expensive and I'll be damned if that gellato doesnt kill you faster than that toy train.
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