Toy-maker Fisher-Price is recalling 83 types of toys - including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters - because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead.

The recall announced yesterday involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys sold in the United States between May and August. It is the first recall for Fisher-Price and parent company Mattel involving lead paint, and is the largest for Mattel since 1998 when Fisher-Price had to yank about 10 million Power Wheels from toy stores.

On Wednesday, David Allmark, general manager of Fisher-Price, said the problem was detected by an internal probe and reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall is particularly alarming since Mattel, known for its strict quality controls, is considered a role model in the toy industry.

Fisher-Price and the commission issued statements saying parents should keep suspect toys away from children and contact the company.

The commission works with companies to issue recalls when it finds consumer goods that can be harmful. Under current regulations, children's products found to have more than .06 percent lead accessible to users are subject to a recall.

Allmark says the recall was "fast-tracked," which allowed the company to quarantine two-thirds of the recalled toys before they even made it to store shelves.

In negotiating details of the recall, Fisher-Price and the government sought to withhold details from the public until yesterday to give stores time to get suspect toys off shelves and Fisher-Price time to get its recall hot line up and running.

Allmark added: "We are still concluding the investigation, how it happened ... But there will be a dramatic investigation on how this happened. We will learn from this."

The recall follows another high-profile move from toy maker RC2, which in June voluntarily recalled 1.5 million wooden railroad toys and set parts from its Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line. The company said that the surface paint on certain toys and parts contained lead, affecting 26 components and 23 retailers.

Carter Keithley, president of the Toy Industries Association, praised Mattel's quick response to the problem, and suggested Mattel will use this setback as a lesson for not only the company but for the entire industry. However, he expressed concern about how the recall and other toy recalls will play out in consumers' minds in advance of the holiday season.

"We are worried about the public feeling," said Keithley.

Parents worried their children may be playing with affected toys can see pictures of the recalled toys at http://www.service.mattel.com.

Agencies

(China Daily 08/03/2007 page9)