Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Evil Toys for Children

Fidel and I were just talking, last night, about how the world has become insanely over protective of our children.

I mean - think of all the toys and their related hazards, which we were exposed to as kids and we still survived. I haven't grown 2 heads, or anything. Just a bunch of scraped knees, some funny bones that weren't so funny and interesting ingested items that I know finally came out..umm.. at the other end of ingestion.

Heck - the toys and things my Dad invented on his own were probably even more dangerous than the dangerous toys of the 50's to 80's.

I've eaten "Easy Bake" mix, uncooked; I've blown up a Pyrex bowl, on the stove, experimenting; I probably have Barbie stuff that has more lead than the paint on the walls in most homes. I even tried making a dinosaur skeleton, but the ribs were a bitch: I soaked Popsicle sticks, bent them & then tried to dry them on the filmstrip viewers - the heat from those when on, was perfect. My teacher never tried to stop me.

So today, I spied this article with my cynical eye (sorry folks.. I'm doing the wrong job some days, at work):


"155,000 Fisher-Price kitchen toys recalled for choking hazard
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 6, 2007 | 9:13 AM ET
CBC News

Fisher-Price has announced a global recall of about 155,000 Laugh & Learn Learning Kitchen toys because they pose a choking danger to young children.

The recall issued Tuesday affects 12,500 English editions and 2,400 French versions of the toy sold in Canada. The toy was manufactured in Mexico.

Fisher-Price has announced a recall of its Laugh & Learn Learning Kitchen toys because they pose a choking danger to young children.Fisher-Price has announced a recall of its Laugh & Learn Learning Kitchen toys because they pose a choking danger to young children.
(U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)

The company warns its kitchen sets' faucets and clock hands contain small pieces that may come loose and present a choking hazard.

There has been one incident of pieces detaching from the clock hand along with two reports of parts releasing from the faucet in Canada.

The toys have been sold in stores across the country since May 2007 for about $70. Parents should remove the affected toys from their children's play area and contact the company for a repair kit."

Okay - if FP was so concerned, how did the product make it out of the design phase, into production ?

Hellllllloooo people !!!! LiteBrite is still on the market !!!!!

http://www.hasbro.com/litebrite/

What about those SMALL POINTY pegs (gawd.. I wanted one soooo bad when I was a kid) ?



Okay - to be a bit more safe, here is some LiteBrite fun without the pegs

http://www.sfpg.com/animation/instruc.htm

Now who out there remembers the tiny pins with red tops for the Spirograph ? Another major child hazard and I lived.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirograph

3 comments:

Steve said...

Chocking hazard? how about the 2-prong legos?

Fire hazard? How about the betty crocker(sp?) lightbulb driven oven?

That was a no brainer, but low and behold, my parents taught us kids to place the over on a firm surface, away from burnable substance, etc.

G-damned if they didn't teach us TO BE CAREFUL. Hmmm. Gotta wonder if common-sense doesn't come from such "dangerous" activites as kids, ya know?

MedStudentWife said...

I think it probably does.... bubble wrapping kids gives them a false sense of security and gives me a job :(

Anonymous said...

how about lawn darts...man I just about skewered myself with those beauties...if you haven't put life and limb in jeapardy (is that spelled right..it dun't look right) now and again when you were a little torquer..life is pretty dull......:):):):)