Today, Aqua Dots were officially recalled. They were one of 2007's hottest toys but they were recalled today due to the fact that they contain the components of a date rape drug. How a toy gets made with date rape drugs, I dont know, but they were. Being that the recall is so fresh, I decided to go to the store to see if I could get my hands on some Aqua Dots.
I went to a Target in Northern Virginia. I went to the toy section and the big Aqua Dots toy maker was gone. There was no sign, they were just gone, so it looked like they were sold out. Ok. But yet they had little Aqua Dot sets that you could buy, take home, and make one Aqua Dot piece. They had like 6 hanging. So I grabbed one. Yes, I got my hands on a recalled toy!!!
Then I picked up the red phone at Target and asked for assistance in the toy department. When the assistant came, I asked him if he knew anything about the Aqua Dots toys. He said he had heard something but he wasnt too sure. I informed him that the toy contained a form of a date rape drug and that if I were him, I would take every single Aqua Dot product off of the shelf before the store got into trouble.
So I watched him as he gathered the Aqua Dot mini sets and took them off of the store shelf.
I still wanted to see if I would be able to buy them though. I took one Aqua Dot set and took it up to the cashier, along with the rest of my items. Everything was going great- the cashier scanned my CDs, my scarves, my gloves, my uh oh, uh oh, she couldnt scan the Aqua Dots.
'Whats wrong' I asked her.
She informed me that the product had been recalled.
'If its been recalled then why do you still have it on your shelves?', I asked her.
She said she didnt know, but the cash register would NOT let her ring it up. I could see the computerized register and it said," This product has been recalled. DO NOT sell this product to customers".
I asked her if I could buy it anyway. She said no. Then the manager came out to inform me that I could not buy the product and that it was being recalled. The manager had come to my register because she had to punch something in the computer in order to let the cashier get rid of that recall screen.
So folks, I was NOT able to buy Aqua Dots, which is great!! Target has a great system set up.
Know that you should feel somewhat safe buying products from Target. Now I need to go test other toy retailers.
Just yesterday, I copied an article about a toy being recalled in Australia that looked like Aqua Dots. It is one of the blog entries. Gosh I'm good- who knew that they WERE Aqua Dots going by another name!!! Who needs CNN for toy news when you have me!!!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Toy Catalogues and the WoW Factor
Last week I got my toy catalogue from Fisher -Price. Yep, Im on their mailing list. I got the catalogue and I was quite impressed. It was nice and big and colorful. Then in the Sunday newspaper, I saw Target's Toy catalogue. And I must say: Target's toy catalogue was WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY better than Fisher-Price's catalogue. I don't know who made the catalogue for Target, but that person deserves a payraise- I absolutely love it.
As I sit here going through both catalogues, I want to give you a first hand experience of what its like to go thru the catalogue and pick the seasons hottest toys. Ive already told you what the hottest toys were going to be (check the earlier blog entry: F-P Arts and Crafts Studio, remember????)
Ok, lets flip through these catalogues:
I like the cover of the Target catalogue, because it has a real person on it. The FP catlge has the little people on the cover.
You know what I saw in the Target catlg: a toy puppy that grows and says your name.Now if you have a kid below the age of 8, thats kind of cool having a toy dog that can say your name and sing songs. F-P is really capitalizing on that "KNOW YOUR NAME" technology. I have the Elmo Says your Name toy and I love it ( my sister got it for me ). This puppy costs $40.
Sparkle and Twirl mERMAID dORA: $30 thru F-P ctlg and $25 at Target.
Vtech KidiZoom Camera- Because I hated the F-P Digital Camera so much, I'm thinking of getting the VTECH camera this year. Im going to call F-P to see if I can return the F-P camera I bought last year which was such a disappointment.
You know why the Target catalogue was better-Becaue it has a wider selection of toys in it.
BAsed on the catalogue, apart from my top ten list , these other toys look cool too:
- F-P King Car-NIVORE: which is an EXACT COPY OF HASBRO's TRANSFORMERS!! In this case, the truck turns into an animal, instead of turning into a Transformer type robot. This is SUCH A copycat of Hasbro's Transformers. Hasbro should sue over this, if its possible.How would Mattel feel if Hasbro created a doll named Maria who sang and spoke in English and Spanish, just like their Dora?
-Playskool's Bounce N GO Inch along toy looks neat. I might buy this and just keep it for when I have kids or someone I know has a kid.
--Lil Luvables Doll Factory: This is great for a rainy day when your kid wants to go to Build A Bear but you dont feel like going. This allows you to build- a -doll right in your own living room.
--This toy should be on my top 10: the Eye Clops Bionic Eye- its a magnifying gadget that allows you to see your objects on tv. So if you put a bug in your handand shine the eyeclops eye on it, you can see it magnified on your TV. This is a great toy for all of you who know little wanna be scientists. Can you imagine pointing this in your mouth and seeing a close up of your teeth and cavities-- YUCKY!!!! But cool!!! This is $45 at Target.
-I tried out this toy the other day: the I CAn play guitar system. The concept is cool but the guitar doesnt have strings. Arent guitars supposed to have strings?? I couldnt get over that fact, that why I wont buy it. But I would love to learn how to play the guitar and Ido think that this would work, but I would feel comfortable if it had strings.
For those of you who never read the copy of my Census analysis report dealing with the country's demographics and how that relates to the toy market- please let me know and Ill send you a copy.
As I sit here going through both catalogues, I want to give you a first hand experience of what its like to go thru the catalogue and pick the seasons hottest toys. Ive already told you what the hottest toys were going to be (check the earlier blog entry: F-P Arts and Crafts Studio, remember????)
Ok, lets flip through these catalogues:
I like the cover of the Target catalogue, because it has a real person on it. The FP catlge has the little people on the cover.
You know what I saw in the Target catlg: a toy puppy that grows and says your name.Now if you have a kid below the age of 8, thats kind of cool having a toy dog that can say your name and sing songs. F-P is really capitalizing on that "KNOW YOUR NAME" technology. I have the Elmo Says your Name toy and I love it ( my sister got it for me ). This puppy costs $40.
Sparkle and Twirl mERMAID dORA: $30 thru F-P ctlg and $25 at Target.
Vtech KidiZoom Camera- Because I hated the F-P Digital Camera so much, I'm thinking of getting the VTECH camera this year. Im going to call F-P to see if I can return the F-P camera I bought last year which was such a disappointment.
You know why the Target catalogue was better-Becaue it has a wider selection of toys in it.
BAsed on the catalogue, apart from my top ten list , these other toys look cool too:
- F-P King Car-NIVORE: which is an EXACT COPY OF HASBRO's TRANSFORMERS!! In this case, the truck turns into an animal, instead of turning into a Transformer type robot. This is SUCH A copycat of Hasbro's Transformers. Hasbro should sue over this, if its possible.How would Mattel feel if Hasbro created a doll named Maria who sang and spoke in English and Spanish, just like their Dora?
-Playskool's Bounce N GO Inch along toy looks neat. I might buy this and just keep it for when I have kids or someone I know has a kid.
--Lil Luvables Doll Factory: This is great for a rainy day when your kid wants to go to Build A Bear but you dont feel like going. This allows you to build- a -doll right in your own living room.
--This toy should be on my top 10: the Eye Clops Bionic Eye- its a magnifying gadget that allows you to see your objects on tv. So if you put a bug in your handand shine the eyeclops eye on it, you can see it magnified on your TV. This is a great toy for all of you who know little wanna be scientists. Can you imagine pointing this in your mouth and seeing a close up of your teeth and cavities-- YUCKY!!!! But cool!!! This is $45 at Target.
-I tried out this toy the other day: the I CAn play guitar system. The concept is cool but the guitar doesnt have strings. Arent guitars supposed to have strings?? I couldnt get over that fact, that why I wont buy it. But I would love to learn how to play the guitar and Ido think that this would work, but I would feel comfortable if it had strings.
For those of you who never read the copy of my Census analysis report dealing with the country's demographics and how that relates to the toy market- please let me know and Ill send you a copy.
Recalled Items and the U.S Reaction
An advisory committee wants to goive more power to the FDA to regulate items that may be dangerous. Well, isnt that what the FDA was supposed to be doing all along? If they werent doing that, then what have they been doing?
An official report is scheduled to come out next week.
Articles and news reports Ive been reading have stated that recalls are up to the manufacturers/companies, not the government. Thats why Mattel recalled their toys, not the government. Thats why Dole recalls their lettuce. So does this mean that if a company decides that they dont want to put out a "voluntary" recall, that they dont have to? Is that why the word "voluntary" is used? Does this mean there is no such thing as a "mandatory" recall?
The committee reportedly wants to give the CPSC the power to make it illegal for companies to "knowingly" distribute a product that has been recalled. Ok, so does this mean that it will be legal to sell a product if you dont know that the product is bad? So if Im Mattel, its legal for me to sell products that I dont know are bad but illegal to sell products I know are bad. So when something bad happens, I can simply say " oh, Im sorry, I didnt know the product was bad" and that alone will make the accident legal??
This doesnt make sense: if the committee wants to give the CPSC the power to make it illegal to sell known recalled items, then the panel should also give a government entity the power to make recalls, and not leave it up to the companies to make the "voluntary recalls."
The panel also wants CPSC and government officials to be in foreign lands inspecting vthe goods. So will all of the inspectors have lead inspection gadgets at the ports?? The issue of inspections needs to be dealt with by the toy companies and not the US inspectors. The Us inspectors can only do so much. And bribery will dilute the US inspectors roles. Dont think that all of the US Inspectors inspecting the cargo will be immune to take bribes- there are always a corrupt few. And those corrupt few will circumvent the system the US is trying to establish now.
Seal- there is the whole idea of having a certification type of seal on products so that people will know the products have been inspected. Fact of the matter is, no one is going to care. Doesnt our meat have a USDA stamp on it, but look at how many times meat has been recalled. And what exactly will the stamp prove- that its been thoroughly inspected, that its been inspected by US Customs, that the cargo was seen with the eye, what? So if Nixe Co has the seal, then am I supposed to trust everything they make because they are now a "trustworthy" company?? Give me a break!! People will know that Nixe Co is a "stamped " company and they will buy all of their products because they trust the stamp. But then there will be another recall and people will be put on the edge and wonder if the stamped goods are really safe. You kow whats going to happen, let me tell you. Our products will be stamped right? Then someone is going to find a way to steal the stamp, reproduce the stamp, and it will show up on products that were not truly meant to be stamped. Then we will run into the problem of real stamp vs. fake stamp.
And how will the stamping procedure work- how long does a company have to be in compliance before they are recognized as a certified company? And how long does that certification last? And will this mean that executives will no longer be able to go on trips sponsored by these companies that are all striving to receive the stamp of approval??
I dont think that the CPSC exec, Nancy Nord, should resign. Everyone needs to leave her alone.She was not the one ordering the toys to be made, she was not the one telling the Chinese companies what type of paint to use, she was not the one giving the orders. People always want to fire someone over something, but they are looking at the wrong person to fire. Noone was fired when drugs were recalled because the side effects were deadly (wasnt it the same FDA that was supposed to protect the consumers?? Its this same FDA that may be getting more power to regulate toys. OK, you think about it....its the same FDA that approved VIAGARA but then later asked the manufacturers to edit the labels because they failed to warn its customers about potential hearing loss that can occur ). So hopefully the FDA wont be approving toys and then later say, "oops, we messed up, can we please have all those toys back!" Thats not what the world needs. Toys need to be made and regulators have to know whether or not the toys are bad BEFORE it gets shipped out for mass consumption. Regulators have to be PRO ACTIVE rather than reactive. No one was fired when the bridge collapsed in Minnesota. No one was arrested for those wild fires in California even though they know EXACTLY who set the main one. So everyone needs to leave Nancy alone and let her do her job. Firing someone is not going to solve the problem.
Lets see what the future holds:)
An official report is scheduled to come out next week.
Articles and news reports Ive been reading have stated that recalls are up to the manufacturers/companies, not the government. Thats why Mattel recalled their toys, not the government. Thats why Dole recalls their lettuce. So does this mean that if a company decides that they dont want to put out a "voluntary" recall, that they dont have to? Is that why the word "voluntary" is used? Does this mean there is no such thing as a "mandatory" recall?
The committee reportedly wants to give the CPSC the power to make it illegal for companies to "knowingly" distribute a product that has been recalled. Ok, so does this mean that it will be legal to sell a product if you dont know that the product is bad? So if Im Mattel, its legal for me to sell products that I dont know are bad but illegal to sell products I know are bad. So when something bad happens, I can simply say " oh, Im sorry, I didnt know the product was bad" and that alone will make the accident legal??
This doesnt make sense: if the committee wants to give the CPSC the power to make it illegal to sell known recalled items, then the panel should also give a government entity the power to make recalls, and not leave it up to the companies to make the "voluntary recalls."
The panel also wants CPSC and government officials to be in foreign lands inspecting vthe goods. So will all of the inspectors have lead inspection gadgets at the ports?? The issue of inspections needs to be dealt with by the toy companies and not the US inspectors. The Us inspectors can only do so much. And bribery will dilute the US inspectors roles. Dont think that all of the US Inspectors inspecting the cargo will be immune to take bribes- there are always a corrupt few. And those corrupt few will circumvent the system the US is trying to establish now.
Seal- there is the whole idea of having a certification type of seal on products so that people will know the products have been inspected. Fact of the matter is, no one is going to care. Doesnt our meat have a USDA stamp on it, but look at how many times meat has been recalled. And what exactly will the stamp prove- that its been thoroughly inspected, that its been inspected by US Customs, that the cargo was seen with the eye, what? So if Nixe Co has the seal, then am I supposed to trust everything they make because they are now a "trustworthy" company?? Give me a break!! People will know that Nixe Co is a "stamped " company and they will buy all of their products because they trust the stamp. But then there will be another recall and people will be put on the edge and wonder if the stamped goods are really safe. You kow whats going to happen, let me tell you. Our products will be stamped right? Then someone is going to find a way to steal the stamp, reproduce the stamp, and it will show up on products that were not truly meant to be stamped. Then we will run into the problem of real stamp vs. fake stamp.
And how will the stamping procedure work- how long does a company have to be in compliance before they are recognized as a certified company? And how long does that certification last? And will this mean that executives will no longer be able to go on trips sponsored by these companies that are all striving to receive the stamp of approval??
I dont think that the CPSC exec, Nancy Nord, should resign. Everyone needs to leave her alone.She was not the one ordering the toys to be made, she was not the one telling the Chinese companies what type of paint to use, she was not the one giving the orders. People always want to fire someone over something, but they are looking at the wrong person to fire. Noone was fired when drugs were recalled because the side effects were deadly (wasnt it the same FDA that was supposed to protect the consumers?? Its this same FDA that may be getting more power to regulate toys. OK, you think about it....its the same FDA that approved VIAGARA but then later asked the manufacturers to edit the labels because they failed to warn its customers about potential hearing loss that can occur ). So hopefully the FDA wont be approving toys and then later say, "oops, we messed up, can we please have all those toys back!" Thats not what the world needs. Toys need to be made and regulators have to know whether or not the toys are bad BEFORE it gets shipped out for mass consumption. Regulators have to be PRO ACTIVE rather than reactive. No one was fired when the bridge collapsed in Minnesota. No one was arrested for those wild fires in California even though they know EXACTLY who set the main one. So everyone needs to leave Nancy alone and let her do her job. Firing someone is not going to solve the problem.
Lets see what the future holds:)
"Date Rape Drug in Childrens toy"- CNN
The following story was taken from CNN's site. These toys remind me of Aqua dots:
'Date rape' drug in children's toy
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/11/07/australia.toys/index.html?iref=newssearch
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Australian officials ordered a popular children's toy to be pulled from shelves Tuesday after scientists found it contained a chemical that converts into a powerful "date rape" drug when ingested.
Bindeez, which were named Australia's toy of the year, contain the "date rape" drug GHB.
Three children have been hospitalized over the past 10 days after swallowing beads from Bindeez, a craft toy sold by Australia-based Moose Enterprises.
The beads in the toy -- named Australia's toy of the year at an industry function earlier this year -- are arranged into designs and then fuse together when sprayed with water.
Scientists say the beads contain a chemical that the human body metabolizes into the so-called "date rape" drug gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB), also known as Fantasy. When eaten, the compound -- made from common and easily available ingredients -- can induce seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.
The New South Wales state minister for fair trading, Linda Burney, ordered the toys pulled from store shelves Tuesday after a 2-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl were admitted to a Sydney hospital in recent days after swallowing large quantities of the beads.
A 19-month-old toddler from Queensland also was receiving medical help after eating the beads, the state's chief health officer, Jeannette Young, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Don't Miss
Panel: FDA needs clout to mandate recalls
China cracks down on toy factories
More lead-paint toy recalls coming, source says
Naren Gunja from Australia's Poisons Information Center said the drug's effect on children was "quite serious ... and potentially life-threatening."
A statement from the New South Wales Fair Trading Department said the product was supposed to use a nontoxic compound used in glue, but contained the harmful chemical instead.
Burney said officials were investigating the Hong Kong-manufactured product.
"I am treating this matter very seriously," Burney said. "One of the considerations is how, in fact, such a substance, such a toxic substance, is actually used in a children's toy."
Moose Enterprises could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday, a public holiday in Victoria state, where the company is based.
The product was not immediately recalled, but officials ordered stores to pull Bindeez off their shelves and urged parents to hide the toys from their children. E-mail to a friend
'Date rape' drug in children's toy
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/11/07/australia.toys/index.html?iref=newssearch
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Australian officials ordered a popular children's toy to be pulled from shelves Tuesday after scientists found it contained a chemical that converts into a powerful "date rape" drug when ingested.
Bindeez, which were named Australia's toy of the year, contain the "date rape" drug GHB.
Three children have been hospitalized over the past 10 days after swallowing beads from Bindeez, a craft toy sold by Australia-based Moose Enterprises.
The beads in the toy -- named Australia's toy of the year at an industry function earlier this year -- are arranged into designs and then fuse together when sprayed with water.
Scientists say the beads contain a chemical that the human body metabolizes into the so-called "date rape" drug gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB), also known as Fantasy. When eaten, the compound -- made from common and easily available ingredients -- can induce seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.
The New South Wales state minister for fair trading, Linda Burney, ordered the toys pulled from store shelves Tuesday after a 2-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl were admitted to a Sydney hospital in recent days after swallowing large quantities of the beads.
A 19-month-old toddler from Queensland also was receiving medical help after eating the beads, the state's chief health officer, Jeannette Young, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Don't Miss
Panel: FDA needs clout to mandate recalls
China cracks down on toy factories
More lead-paint toy recalls coming, source says
Naren Gunja from Australia's Poisons Information Center said the drug's effect on children was "quite serious ... and potentially life-threatening."
A statement from the New South Wales Fair Trading Department said the product was supposed to use a nontoxic compound used in glue, but contained the harmful chemical instead.
Burney said officials were investigating the Hong Kong-manufactured product.
"I am treating this matter very seriously," Burney said. "One of the considerations is how, in fact, such a substance, such a toxic substance, is actually used in a children's toy."
Moose Enterprises could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday, a public holiday in Victoria state, where the company is based.
The product was not immediately recalled, but officials ordered stores to pull Bindeez off their shelves and urged parents to hide the toys from their children. E-mail to a friend
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