In this toy story, retailers looking for U.S. products

Huge recall has locals rethinking Chinese products

Joanne Kelley, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 3, 2007 at midnight

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Denver stores say the recent spate of toy recalls, most recently by Mattel Inc.'s Fisher-Price division, has made them think twice about selling Chinese-made products.

While specialty shops tend not to carry the mass-produced Sesame Street characters recalled for high lead levels, they acknowledge that most toys carry "Made in China" labels.

"We've been going through our shelves and looking for stuff that's made in the USA, and we're finding it's a very small percentage," said Linda Meyer, manager of Timbuk Toys on South Colorado Boulevard.

Fisher-Price announced a worldwide recall of 83 types of toys - including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters - because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead.

The recall involves almost 1 million plastic preschool toys made by a Chinese vendor and sold in the United States between May and August. The company is advising parents to keep the toys away from children and to contact Mattel's recall hotline at 800-916-4498.

Timbuk Toys hasn't carried the toys recalled this week, but a big chunk of its business has come from selling Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway line.

In June, RC2 Corp. voluntarily recalled 1.5 million railway toys and parts because the surface paint contained lead.

"We are looking and trying to do some replacement things," Meyer said.

A customer came into the store the other day looking for a stuffed animal made domestically. The store had only one in the store with a "Made in the U.S.A." label.

Most of the big toy vendors have their toys manufactured in China, noted Kazoo Toys store manager Doris Crennen.

"Not every single one (makes toys in China) but certainly a lot of them, because everyone's trying to keep their costs down," Crennen said.

"We have a few (products)" for customers who would like something made in the United States, Crennen said, noting that the store owner is always on the lookout for products made in this country.

"It'll be interesting to see how this all shakes out," Crennen said.

An employee who answered the phone at KB Toys on West Colfax Avenue said the store has already pulled the tainted toys it carried from its shelves. A spokeswoman for Toys "R" Us also said toys have been removed and the shelves have been restocked with other items.

"Immediately upon receiving notice of the recall, we took aggressive steps to ensure that this product was not available for sale," the company said in statement.

The Golden Triangle Learning Center in Denver said it has yet to be affected by the recent toy recalls. When it learns of problems it typically posts information on its parent bulletin board to alert people who may have the toys at home.

The center tends to have educational toys such as puzzles and toy kitchen items. The Sesame Street products in the recall are more for "at home" play, according to Lisa Chavez, assistant director at Golden Triangle.

On the list List of model names and product numbers for the nearly 1 million recalled Fisher-Price toys, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission:

• 33662 Elmo Light Up Musical Pal

• 33663 Ernie Light Up Musical Pal

• 33664 Big Bird Light Up Musical Pal

• 34658 Elmo Stacking Rings

• 39038 Elmo Tub Sub

• 39054 Sesame Street Shape Sorter

• 87946 Elmo Keyboard

• 90267 Ernie Splashin' Fun Trike

• 90609 Elmo Collectible

• 90611 Cookie Collectible

• 90612 Zoe Collectible

• 90613 Ernie Collectible

• 90614 Big Bird Collectible

• 90745 Construction Playset

• 93068 Elmo Boom Box

• 93107 Action Fire Engine

• 93307 Press N Go Elmo

• 93308 Rev & Go Cookie Monster

• 93492 Cookie Saxophone

• 93493 Elmo's Guitar

• 93615 Splash Tub Puzzle

• 93780 Music And Lights Phone

• B7554 Count To Beat Elmo

• B7888 Shake, Giggle & Roll

• B7987 Elmo in the Giggle Box

• B7989 Silly Parts Talking Elmo

• B9620 Dora's Talking House

• C6908 Dora, Backpack, Perrito Figure Pack

• C6909 Diego Figure Pack

• C6910 Swiper Figure Pack

• C6911 Boots, Tico Figure Pack

• G3825 Dora Talking Vamonos Van

• G5112 Sing With Elmo's Greatest Hits

• G9717 Giggle Doodler

• H2943 Grow with Me Elmo Sprinkler

• H3343 Cousin Daisy

• H3344 Birthday Dora

• H5569 Elmo & Pals

• H5570 Elmo & Pals

• H4187 Dora Figures in Tube

• H4628 Water Fun Tote

• H8236 Dora 3 Pack Figures in Tube

• H8237 Blue 3 Pack Figures in Tube

• H8238 Sponge Bob 3 Pack Figures in Tube

• H9124 Chef Dora

• H9125 Bedtime Dora

• H9186 Giggle Grabber Ernie

• H9188 Giggle Grabber Oscar the Grouch

• J0338 Diego Talking Field Journal

• J0343 Go Diego Go Antarctic Rescue

• J0344 Go Diego Go Deep Sea Rescue

• J0345 Go Diego Go Mountain Rescue

• J0346 Go Diego Go Talking Rescue 4

• X 4 J5935 Giggle Grabber Soccer Elmo

• J5936 Giggle Grabber Chef Cookie Monster

• J6537 Sesame Street Giggle Toolbelt

• J6762 Queen Mami

• J6763 Royal Boots and Tico

• J6765 Prince Diego

• J7983 Sesame Street Tub Pots & Pans

• J9518 Sesame Street Giggle Drill

• J9692 Dora's Talking Pony Place

• K0617 Twins Nursery

• K3414 Diego - Talking Gadget Belt

• K3571 Go Diego Go Mobile Rescue Unit

• K3580 Fairytale Adventure Dora

• K4139 Go Diego Go Dinosaur Rescue

• K4140 Toucan Motorcycle Rescue

• L0305 Dora Figure

• L3194 Surprise Inside Diego Eggs

• L3215 Sesame Street Elmo Jack-In-The-Box

• L3488 Sesame Street Birthday Figure Pack

• L3507 Sesame Street - Super Boom Box

• L5202 Birthday Dora

• L5813 Diego Tub Trike

• L8905 Pablo & Pals

• M0351 Dora Figures Dora & Kitty

• M0352 Dora Figures Diego & Bear

• M0524 Go Diego Go Talking Gadget

• M0527 Sesame Street Giggle Doodler

• M0732 Dora's Talking House

• M2051 Let's Go Rescue Center

• M2052 Fairytale Castle

Exchange vouchers

Owners of a recalled Fisher-Price toy can exchange it for a voucher for another product of the same value. To see pictures of the recalled toys, visit service.mattel.com. For information, call Mattel's recall hotline at 800-916-4498.

Information for parents

Parents worried their children may have been exposed to excessive levels of lead in recalled Fisher-Price toys should visit their pediatrician for a blood test, experts said Thursday.

Dr. John Rosen, a lead poisoning specialist at Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York City, said a blood test can effectively measure recent lead exposure.

Parents shouldn't panic, Rosen said, but "it's better to be safe than sorry."

A spokesman for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the recall Thursday, agreed.

kelleyj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5068. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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