Fisher Price Recalls Popular Toys

Early Thursday morning, Fisher-Price, toy-maker of well-known Little People announced that it is recalling 83 types of toys - including popular Elmo, Dora and Diego characters because they contain high amounts of lead which if swallowed can be harmful if not fatal to your child. This worldwide recall involves 967,000 plastic toys made by a Chinese vendor and sold in the United States between May and August of 2007. This is the latest in a tidal wave of recalls that has heightened concern about the safety of Chinese-made products.

This recall is the first for Fisher-Price Inc. and parent company Mattel Inc, concerning lead paint. It is the largest recall for Mattel since 1998 when Fisher-Price had to remove about 10 million Power Wheels ride-on cars and trucks from toy stores. The small battery inside the child size vehicle could overheat and cause fires. There were also wiring problems that could prevent the little car or truck from stopping.

During an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, general manager of Fisher-Price David Allmark, said the problem was detected by an internal probe and reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall is particularly upsetting since Mattel, known for its strict quality controls, is considered a role model in the toy business for how it operates in China.

Fisher-Price and the commission issued statements saying parents should keep said toys away from children and contact the company right away. The Consumer Product Safety Commission works with companies to issue recalls when it finds consumer goods that can be unsafe. Currently, any children's toys found to have more than .06% lead that is easy for a child to get to is subject to a recall.