A safety watchdog group has released a list of the top ten toys it deems the most unsafe. The “10 Worst Toys” list from World Against Toys Causing Harm or WATCH includes items toys with small parts that may cause choking hazards, and plush materials that could suffocate very young kids.
The list from the Boston-based group was released ahead of the 2016 holiday shopping season, which adds up to almost two-thirds of all toy sales in the USA, WATCH says. In a statement, the group explains, “Due to poor design, manufacturing and marketing practices, there are toys available for purchase today with the potential to lead to serious injury and even death.”
Toy manufacturers, headed by the Toy Industry Association, are arguing that the USA has some of the strictest toy-safety measures worldwide, and that “year after year these lists have repeatedly shown to be full of false claims that needlessly frighten parents and caregivers,” WPRI reports.
Steve Pasierb, CEO of the association, says in an article by 9News, “The toy community remains steadfast in its year-round commitment to creating safe toys and games that bring joy and learning to children all over the world.”
But WATCH counters that the toys on its list have inconsistent and incomplete warnings, inadequate cautions and age recommendations. The toys listed are:
- Peppy Pups – potential to cause strangulation
- Banzai Bump N’ Bounce Body Bumpers – inadequate safety precautions
- Warcraft Doomhammer – no warnings of possible impact injuries swinging the toy might give
- Peppa Pig’s Muddy Puddles Family – no choking hazard warnings on some packages
- Slimeball Slingers – has enough force to cause eye injuries
- The Good Dinosaur Galloping Butch – may present significant puncture wounds when operated
- Baby Magic Feed and Play Baby – included items are small enough to cause potential choking
- Nerf Rival Apollo Xv-700 Blaster – can shoot with enough force to cause potential eye injuries
- Flying Heroes Superman Launcher – the spinning motion can send the toy into a child’s face
- Kids Time Baby Children’s Elephant Pillow – package has no age warnings, and might cause choking or smothering
