Mattel recalls millions more toys

<p>Jamie Cronin checks lists of recalled toys every time she goes shopping for her 1-year-old daughter. She considers it standard practice.</p><p>“It’s odd that you have to check,” said the 24-year-old mother from St. Helena. “They should all be safe for kids.”</p><p>But Cronin knows better. She had to return a toy because it contained dangerous lead paint that could have poisoned her daughter Ashlynn. And she continues to be unnerved by a recent spate of toys recalled because of toxic paint and dangerous magnets.</p><p>On Tuesday, Cronin learned that the nation’s largest toy manufacturer had announced another massive recall of Chinese-made products.</p><p>Mattel announced Tuesday a recall of more than 9¬million toys ranging from Batman action figures to Barbie dolls. It is the second major recall by Mattel of Chinese-made toys in as many weeks. The company recalled 1.5¬million Fisher-Price infant toys worldwide on Aug. 2 because of dangerous levels of lead paint.</p><p>Tuesday’s recall included 253,000 die-cast cars modeled after “Sarge” in the Pixar movie “Cars.” They contain lead paint.</p><p>The other recalled toys contain dangerous magnets that if swallowed can lead to serious intestinal injury or death. The company has now recalled 18.2¬million magnetic toys worldwide since first warning of the danger in November of 2006.</p><p>China manufactures about 80¬percent of the toys sold in the United States and has come under heavy scrutiny for lax oversight of its manufacturing process.</p><p>Mattel Chief Executive Officer Bob Eckert said in a conference call that the company is stepping up oversight of its production process and as a result could issue further recalls.</p><p>“There is no guarantee that we will not be here again and have more recalls,” Eckert said. “We are testing at a very high level.”</p><p>The company notified retailers late Monday night of its most recent problem.</p><p>An e-mail from Mattel was waiting Tuesday for the owners of Toys West in Santa Rosa alerting them to the toys under recall. Workers pulled a handful of toys from shelves and out of new shipments, and the recall notice will be posted in the store, said Sharon Schofield.</p><p>“Absolutely everything that’s on the list will be off the shelf. You don’t want to sell anything that can possibly be harmful,” she said.</p><p>Polly Pocket dolls are the most popular item under the recall that Toys West carries, Schofield said. She and her husband, Ray, own the Toys West stores in Coddingtown and in downtown Petaluma.</p><p>This is the second recall in two months that has forced Toys West to pull items from shelves. In June, the Schofield’s removed some of the brightly colored wooden trains from the Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway line because they contained lead paint.</p><p>“This is unusual. People just have to know the retailers will help them,” Schofield said. “For us, we carry so many items that it impacts our business very little.”</p><p>After going through the Thomas & Friends recall, owners of The Toyworks stores in Santa Rosa and Sebastopol avoided the latest one because they don’t carry many Mattel items.</p><p>“We generally stay away from products generated by television ads,” said John Goehring.</p><p>Still, even the smaller manufacturers they purchase from often contract with factories in China to make the toys. That requires a commitment to meeting safety standards, Goehring said.</p><p>“You can still have the quality control. So they still have the time to oversee the production,” he said.</p><p>“I think it’s a wake-up call to the manufacturers to really pay attention,” Schofield said.</p><p>More than 80¬percent of the magnetic education products, toys and games Dowling Magnets sells are made for the Sonoma-based company under contract in China. Dowling Magnets is increasing independent product testing, said Jennifer Ord, the company’s general manager.</p><p>“We’re just going to step up the cycle of safety testing,” she said.</p><p>In recent weeks, Dowling Magnets has added new labeling warnings of potential harm from small, powerful magnets if swallowed by children. The labeling is required following the initial recall last fall for toys with magnets, Ord said.</p><p>The labels now appear on two Dowling toys. One is a science gadget for ages 8 and older that features a horseshoe magnet with smaller, imbedded magnets. Another is a building toy for ages 3 and older with strong magnets contained in each piece of the set.</p><p>“We recognize it’s a concern so we’re being extra diligent in our labeling and our age appropriateness,” Ord said.</p><p>Such moves by manufacturers are aimed at reassuring parents that toys their children handle are safe.</p><p>“Obviously, your job is to protect your child. So we’re just being really proactive,” Ord said.</p><p>Cronin said she would remain vigilant in checking recall notices to protect her daughter.</p><p>“We are just extra cautious now,” she said. “But it’s a lot of stuff.”</p><p>You can reach staff writer Mike Coit at 521-5470 or Nathan Halverson at 521-5494 or nhalverson@pressdemocrat.com. The Associated Press contributed to this story.</p>