Comments for Toxic Lead Paint Prompts Recall of 967,000 Fisher-Price Toys

Toxic Lead Paint Prompts Recall of 967,000 Fisher-Price Toys

2007-08-02T19:49:19Z

Sorry kids, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Fisher-Price are recalling Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and 83 other types of fun toys that happen to be covered with toxic lead paint from China.

]]> The recall affects 967,000 toys made between April 19 and July 6 of this year that bear a date code between 109-7LF and 187-7LF. Two-thirds of the affected toys were quarantined before they reached store shelves.

The recall is disconcerting because Mattel is seen by many as a role model for businesses using Chinese manufacturers:

Allmark said the recall was troubling because Fisher-Price has had a long-standing relationship with the Chinese vendor, which had applied decorative paint to the toys. Allmark said the company would use this recall as an opportunity to put even better systems in place to monitor vendors whose conduct does not meet Mattel's standards.

Owners of the toxic toys can exchange them for a voucher. A full list of affected toys is below, and pictures of the toys are available on Mattel's website.

33662 Elmo Light Up Musical Pal
33664 Big Bird Light Up Musical Pal
39038 Elmo Tub Sub
87946 Elmo Keyboard
90609 Elmo Collectible
90612 Zoe Collectible
90614 Big Bird Collectible
93068 Elmo Boom Box
93307 Press N Go Elmo
93492 Cookie Saxophone
93615 Splash Tub Puzzle

B7554 Count To Beat Elmo
B7987 Elmo In The Giggle Box
B9620 Dora's Talking House
C6908 Dora, Backpack, Perrito Figure Pack
C6909 Diego Figure Pack
C6911 Boots, Tico Figure Pack
G5112 Sing With Elmo's Greatest Hits
H2943 Grow With Me Elmo Sprinkler
H3344 Birthday Dora
H5570 Elmo & Pals (Elmo, Zoe, Bigbird)
H4628 Water Fun Tote
H8237 Blue 3 Pack Figures In Tube
H9124 Chef Dora
H9186 Giggle Grabber Ernie

J0338 Diego Talking Field Journal
J0344 Go Diego Go Deep Sea Rescue
J0346 Go Diego Go Talking Rescue 4 X 4
J5936 Giggle Grabber Chef Cookie Monster
J6537 Sesame Street Giggle Toolbelt
J6763 Royal Boots And Tico
J7983 Sesame Street Tub Pots & Pans
J9692 Dora's Talking Pony Place
K3414 Diego - Talking Gadget Belt
K3580 Fairytale Adventure Dora
K4140 Toucan Motorcycle Rescue

L3194 Surprise Inside Diego Eggs
L3488 Sesame Street Birthday Figure Pack
L3507 Sesame Street - Super Boom Box
L5202 Birthday Dora
L8905 Pablo & Pals
M0352 Dora Figures Diego & Bear
M0527 Sesame Street Giggle Doodler
M2051 Lets Go Rescue Center
33663 Ernie Light Up Musical Pal
34658 Elmo Stacking Rings
39054 Sesame Street Shape Sorter
90267 Ernie Splashin' Fun Trike
90611 Cookie Collectible
90613 Ernie Collectible
90745 Construction Playset
93107 Action Fire Engine
93308 Rev & Go Cookie Monster
93493 Elmo's Guitar
93780 Music And Lights Phone

B7888 Shake, Giggle & Roll
B7989 Silly Parts Talking Elmo

C6910 Swiper Figure Pack
G3825 Dora Talking Vamonos Van
G9717 Giggle Doodler
H3343 Cousin Daisy
H5569 Elmo & Pals (Elmo, Cookie, Ernie)
H4187 Dora Figures In Tube
H8236 Dora 3 Pack Figures In Tube
H8238 Sponge Bob 3 Pack Figures In Tube
H9125 Bedtime Dora
H9188 Giggle Grabber Oscar The Grouch

J0343 Go Diego Go Antarctic Rescue
J0345 Go Diego Go Mountain Rescue
J5935 Giggle Grabber Soccer Elmo

J6762 Queen Mami
J6765 Prince Diego
J9518 Sesame Street Giggle Drill
K0617 Twins Nursery
K3571 Go Diego Go Mobile Rescue Unit
K4139 Go Diego Go Dinosaur Rescue
L0305 Dora Figure

L3215 Sesame Street Elmo Jack-In-The-Box

L5813 Diego Tub Trike
M0351 Dora Figures Dora & Kitty
M0524 Go Diego Go Talking Gadget
M0732 Dora's Talking House
M2052 Fairytale Castle

Fisher-Price Recalls Licensed Character Toys Due To Lead Poisoning Hazard [CPSC]
Fisher-Price to Recall 967,000 Toys [AP]

Comment from miicrodot on 2007-08-04

2007-08-04T18:54:49Z

Ahh, but the cyclical nature of industrial pollution. This is about a lot more than just lead in pigments. This is about the cycle of America dealing with its own used technology. As noted in the Wall Street Journal, Ted Smith, the founder of Silicone Valley Toxics Coalition documented how the disposal of used Computers and electronic components by American waste disposal companies directly contributes to this problem.
They make the bad stuff "go away" by shipping it to China and other countries all over the world where it is recycled.
The lead and heavy metals of our own computer garbage is recycled to become a cheap source of pigments in the very paints used by the Chinese Toy industry.
I'm not laying blame on America for poisoning it's own children, but the real problem is not as simple as a xenophobic reaction against the Chinese.

Comment from mikfel1 on 2007-08-03

2007-08-03T22:49:20Z

I am a chemist, and I know a lot of US manufacturers, well at least used to, hire technicians to do QA/QC (quality assurance, quality control) on manufacturing lines. It sounds like maybe the Chinese have never heard about this, QAQC is a joke job in china, or the US companies that import this stuff no longer care and decided its cheaper to hid behind lawyers than make safe product.

There is no excuse for lead in a product, its not something that is difficult to test for. Maybe toy safety people should just go to Walmart, use that guys blender from youtube, blend the toys up and see if they have lead in them.

Comment from Shizlak on 2007-08-03

2007-08-03T06:37:59Z

honestly, Why is "lead = poison" such a hard thing to grasp?

Comment from MissMissy on 2007-08-02

2007-08-03T00:55:16Z

But everyone is forgetting that lead is so *tasty* and satisfying...

Comment from junkmail on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T23:51:23Z

@gorckat: Oh THAT'S reassuring...

@CumaeanSibyl: Tell me about it... I had to do it. :(

@Nemesis_Enforcer: Agreed

Comment from clarient on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T23:10:25Z

Everything you touch can kill you these days.

Comment from CumaeanSibyl on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T22:49:58Z

I just have this really sad image of parents having to take away their kids' favorite toys. :(

Between this and the idiot on LiveJournal who's arguing that sweatshop opponents are evil for wanting companies to pay living wages and build safe factories, I'm feeling really anti-corporate right about now.

Comment from Nemesis_Enforcer on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T21:56:03Z

Ok so maybe I am overreacting a little since I have a 9 month old and he had one of the toys on the list...but WHO THE F*CK DECIDED ANY LEAD PAINT WAS ACCEPTABLE FOR KIDS TOYS???? I mean this isn't there is lead in our paint recall its theres too much. Ummmm isnt any too much? I know all the psuedo-quasi-doctor wannabes will chime in about acceptable levels of exposure and all that but come on using anything with lead in it especially for kids toys? Criminal negligence in my mind. Man it seems every week the list of toys you can safely buy gets smaller and smaller.

Comment from ahwannabe on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T21:38:05Z

better systems = hiring Americans, maybe? nah.

Comment from Starfury on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T21:33:30Z

My kids have my old Legos since I kept those.

I didn't keep my hot wheels track and cars..that was a mistake.

Comment from kylere on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T21:28:09Z

This is a "good thing" in the long run, because we will hopefully see a group of companies founded under the very concept of safe and secure items. It is sad that we are becoming a colony of other nations as we once were to the Brits. Raw materials out, finished good in!

Comment from Trai_Dep on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T21:22:29Z

Makes Ronco's Bag of Broken Glass toy line seem almost quaint.

Comment from Jaysyn was banned for: http://consumerist.com/5032912/the-subprime-meltdown-will-be-nothing-compared-to-the-prime-meltdown#c7042646 on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T20:59:12Z

Give em Legos!

Of course, you may have to take out a loan to do so!

Comment from gorckat on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T20:55:39Z

@junkmail: I heard on the radio that the reason they're limiting the dates of purchase is because they couldn't/hadn't tested anything older.

Comment from albinogoldfish on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T20:43:41Z

My girlfriend is Chinese, we go back and forth on whose country is worse(I'm American if that matters), this spree of crap imports coming out of China has got me so far ahead I don't even have to try anymore. Thank you Consumerist, you've given this man the ability to one-up his girlfriend.

Comment from mopar_man on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T20:42:42Z

@zero_o:

Depends how far back you go I guess.

Comment from zero_o on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T20:37:11Z

Mopar_man the problem with buying "vintage toys" made in the grand ol' US of A is that we used to use lead paint too.

Comment from Cowboys_fan on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T20:33:50Z

Will all this crap ever end? Somehow I think NO

Comment from mopar_man on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T20:24:03Z

This whole thing has me pretty paranoid. I think my daughters will be playing with rocks and sticks from now on.

Or just buy vintage toys that were made before the US decided to off all of it's production to China. I know I regret selling a bunch of my childhood toys now that I'm hearing about all these lead-painted toys and nobody really doing anything about it (besides recalls that is but that's kinda too late). Luckily I've still got some stashed away. Hopefully I have at least one boy or my girls are going to by tomboys. :P

Comment from junkmail on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T20:03:02Z

Went through the process on FP's page, and they ask you if they were purchased prior to or following May 1st, 07. If this is the same Chinese company they've been doing business with for years, how can they be sure this is the only time lead paint was an issue? This whole thing has me pretty paranoid. I think my daughters will be playing with rocks and sticks from now on.

Comment from Toof_75_75 on 2007-08-02

2007-08-02T20:02:02Z

I'm pretty convinced this is just a mode of guerrilla warfare that we are not completely aware is going on against us.