Strollerderby : Polly Pocket

Where Do All the Recalled Toys Go?

Karen Murphy — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 15:49:00 GMT

You know all those Date Rape Doras, Lead Poison Barbies, and Thomas the Tank Engine: the Evil Editions and all the other crappy toys that have been recalled? Yeah, well, maybe you culled your toybox and maybe you even returned your items for a refund or whatever, but...where did those toys go from there? Where are they now? What happens when toys have been recalled?

You'd be surprised (cue music for the Island of Misfit Toys).

Not surprisingly, most never make it back to the manufacturer. For one thing, how many of us actually take the damn things back to receive a refund? me, I have an Annoyance Quotient about such things that suggests that the refund/rebate/whatever amount must exceed the amount of annoyance it takes to receive said refund/rebate/etc. More annoyance = a higher necessary refund/rebate/whatever amount. I presume most people have a similar Annoyance Quotient.

So say the toy makes it past the Annoyance Quotient and now it's at the store where it was purchased. Then what? Well, most stores are simply storing the recalled toys in warehouses because they've no clue what to do with them. It'd be nice if someone had a plan for this sort of thing, but no, it's not happening.

Then there are the toys still in circulation. Think you can find recalled toys still on shelves? You'd be correct. In one case, a certan recalled a Polly Pocket LimoScene toy was found for several weeks running on the shelf at a Wal-Mart (though the cash register blocked the actual sale of the toy).

Plus, there's no federal reluation or law preventing reselling of recalled toys. So although eBay, for instance, has agreed not to sell recalled toys, they are sure to still be found there.

Bottom line is still caveat emptor: It's still up to the consumer (that's you and me) to make sure our kids aren't licking lead-laden crap toys.

Photo: mwctoys.com

Breaking Broken Toy News: Recall Gets Bigger

Kelly Mills — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:02:00 GMT

Okay, soon our children are gonna have nothing left to play with except sharp rocks and thumbtacks, both of which are apparently safer than most of what you buy at the local toystore. Mattel is recalling yet more toys made in China, and this time the recall includes "7.3 million play sets, including Polly Pocket dolls and Batman action figures, and 253,000 die cast cars that contain lead paint." Hear my cry: Not the Polly Pockets! You mean like the Polly in this photo...which is identical to one I'm looking at right next to my desk. And FYI, they already recalled some Pollys last November.

This latest round of toys going to the bad toy graveyard deals with the ever-popular lead paint issue, as well as the big problem of magnets. When tiny magnets break off and more than one is swallowed, the magnets can stick to each other and cause intestinal perforations, which can be fatal. Three kids had surgery for this before the November recall. Ugh.

You may just want to put this on speed dial: Consumers should call Mattel at 888-597-6597 for information about the recalled toys with magnets, or 800-916-4997 for information about the recalled cars.

Matchbox Cars for Girls: Stupid Idea or Brilliant Marketing Ploy?

Karen Murphy — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 18:19:00 GMT

Growing up, I loved playing with Matchbox cars. The problem was, I didn't have any. But my brother did; he had lots of them. I loved how the tiny doors could open and close on some models. Would I have played with Matchbox cars made just for girls? Hmm. I think part of the appeal was the gender-neutral qualities of the cars, because they were, well, cars. And cars were for everyone. Right?

Wrong, if you're Mattel and you're betting that the new Polly Wheels cars - each comes with its own tiny Polly Pocket driver - will be a big hit with the girls. Designed with the girly-girl in mind, they'll come in sparkly pinks and purples and soon will even be (gag) scented to coordinate with the colors. Even worse, there are plans for a Race to the Mall game which is said to combine the race-track appeal of Hot Wheels with, well, the mall.

What do you think: does Mattel have a winner on their hands? Would you buy this for your daughter?