Mattel apologizes to China for product recalls

[CHIMO]

Source: Reuters

BEIJING — A senior Mattel executive apologized to China on Friday for recent recalls of Chinese-made toys and said the company took full responsibility.

“But it's important for everyone to understand that the vast majority of those products that we recalled were the result of a design flaw in Mattel's design, not through a manufacturing flaw in Chinese manufacturers.”



Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070921.wmattelchina0921/BNStory/International/home

---

Now for the rest of the story.

[notadmblnd]

1. It was my understanding that most of the toy recalls were because of lead paint

how is that a design flaw?

[AndyA]

2. Perhaps Mattel forgot to specify *NO LEAD PAINT* is the specifications.

And the Chinese had no idea lead paint could possibly be illegal for use in toys in the U.S.

Who knew? :shrug:

[SpikeTss]

50. *ROFL*

That's a really good one!

[CHIMO]

3. Don't Know

At this point. But if the specifications called for a paint that could only be met by a lead paint then they would have asked for lead paint without actually stating it.

But at this point we don't know.

[cui bono]

38. What I read earlier is that they were provided paint to use and used the lead paint

instead.


I would speculate they did that because it was cheaper paint and perhaps they sold the better, provided paint to someone else making something else.

[CHIMO]

48. If That Is The

Case, where they supplied the paint and had specified the paint as a lead paint then I would think that they, Mattel, would be liable for their actions.

If they knowingly broke the law then they should be accountable. However, if the fabricator made the substitution on their own then I would think that Mattel is delinquent in their quality control. Who knows what happened if they are not taken to court.

[cui bono]

49. What I meant was that Mattel provided the appropriate paint and the Chinese

substituted the lead based paint. I think I've stated it a bit clearer this time.

[Le Taz Hot]

4. Of course they did.

:puke:

[deacon]

5. It's like that lawyer apologizing to cheney after cheney shot him.

[daleo]

31. Nice comparison.

I mean that in a good way.

[Canuckistanian]

39. That's the first thing I thought of myself

Why does anyone have to apologize to China?

Chinese manufacturers should bear the brunt of these complaints. Even if Mattel clearly specified lead paint, the manufacturer should have pointed that out.

They didn't. And they knowingly shipped children's toys with a toxic substance.

[Buttercup McToots]

6. Apologizes to China? What about us?

Basta*ds...Just wait till Christmas...:mad:

[AllyCat]

44. Us? Well, we ingrates will see increasing toy prices to pay for that pesky

testing they have to do now. But look on the bright side: they said they'd wait until AFTER Christmas to do it!

Buy European or American...suggestions: Nova Naturals, HABA, Quercetti

[Robbien]

7. If they didn't China would probably stop making their toys

and then where would they be.

Idiots. China is holding all the cards.

[kysrsoze]

20. We'd be buying non-toxic toys from some other producer. Fuck Mattel and China.

China is NOT holding all the cards. Mattel and other selfish corporations have resigned themselves to working with China. There are manufacturers in India, Indonesia, Israel, Morocco, Mexico, Venezuela, South Africa, United States, Canada, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, etc. This stuff can get made ANYWHERE! And we'd better start sourcing it elsewhere before China does truly own us. Almost nothing is irreversable, but it actually takes effort to change things.

[Romulox]

26. You know, a few toys ARE made in the US...

No China this Christmas for our family. NONE.

[shaniqua6392]

40. We will only buy American toys this xmas too.

I will never trust anything made in China again. They did not know they were not supposed to put paint with 180 TIMES the legal lead amount on our toys??? Bullsh*t. I watch my clothing purchases and food and make sure it is not from China too. Plus my pets eat a raw diet after the recent cover up on the pet food recall. My animals do not like to eat melamine. We really should be boycotting Chinese goods as a country to effect the changes that we need, but you just can not seem to get Americans to rally on anything any more.

[AllyCat]

45. We can't rally Americans because they LIKE cheap Chinese crap from

Wally World!

There are some nice toys made in Europe too. My suggestion above: check out Nova Naturals, some stuff from HABA, and Quercetti. I know there are more out there. Any other suggestions folks?

On edit: I forgot that Little Tykes makes a number of their products here. You have to check the labels because some is made in China.

[Highway61]

8. Apologize???

corporate whore...We MUST keep those jobs in China...they only pay slave wages overthere...My God, if those jobs came back to USA, they would have to pay, in the least, minimum wage...can't have that....:sarcasm:

would cut into Robert A. Eckert's (CEO) salary whose TOTAL Compensation $16,173,240 :grr:

[cui bono]

37. Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!

That's exactly why. They need China to provide cheap labor. It's not so much that they're apologizing to China, it's that they need this story to get out so that people get the idea that it's not China's fault and will not boycott products made there.

Follow the money.

[CelticWinter]

9. Hopefully people remember this

come the holiday season. Im a grandparent and I buy alot of barbies, polly pockets and the rest of that stuff but not this year, and Im not alone. These asshole corporations wanted to move their plants to where the work is done dirt cheap, with no supervision to what is being put into the products let them find a new consumer, Im not interested. The amazing thing about all this is when I told my granddaughter that I wouldnt be buying these products and santa wouldnt be either because there was a poison in them,and I would have to lead test her existing toys, she bagged up all her toys brought them to me and said "I dont want to play with them until you tested them". So Mattel and the rest of these greedy pigs not only have to worry about the adults not buying they have to worry about the kids not wanting a product that could make them ill.
Celtic

[Norrin Radd]

12. Try HearthSong, they test for lead paint:

http://www.hearthsong.com

[momster]

46. Good Choice!

Simple toys that leave a lot to the imagination. Kids have to expand their minds and not just have the stories already created for them by corporate T.V.

[blue neen]

10. Isn't that ridiculous.

Corporate masochism.

Go ahead China. Poison us some more! Mattel will apologize to YOU!

[TankLV]

16. Paging Dicky Durbin! Dicky Durbin! You're wanted on the Apology Line pronto!

Paging dicky durbin...

[brentspeak]

11. Hey, Mattel! I'll shop for American-made toys from now on.

[Kceres]

32. Be careful! Even "American Made" toys may have components from China.

I heard on the news the other night that a lot of so-called American made products are just assembled in the U.S. and they actually have foreign components and/or paint.

[kurth]

13. WTF

[Paulie]

14. Yippie! So we sue Mattel

They admitted it was their designs. Sounds like negligence to me, as they did not care about the kids they poisoned or it wouldn't have made it past QA. I want cash, not coupons for more of their crap.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

19. First thing I thought of...

It's like putting a legal "Kick Me" sign on their back. They must have figured out some way to avoid liability.

[TankLV]

15. WTF?!?!?!

Buh bye Mattel - no more of my money EVER...

[MetalCanuck]

17. When you manufacture the prodects for greedy businessmen at cut rates you have the power.

Do not think for a second that Mattel was not threatened.

[kysrsoze]

21. You have a point. But I'd feel more threatened by looking like an acquiescing WUS to my customers

I guess in the short term, China could really screw Mattel, but I think they just did it to themselves.

[annabanana]

18. Sounds like they got a load of buckshot in the face. . .

Sounds to me JUST like when whosits got shot by Cheney and apologized for it. .

Mattel is OWNED.

(edit: recommended)

[Javaman]

22. All hail our chinese overlords!!

I'm sorry master, that lead paint that you put into the toys is all my fault. I will never do that again.

[Xenotime]

23. Mattel should just close their doors in shame.

[onehandle]

24. In thirty years when China is the #1 superpower...

...we will pay dearly for our sins against our masters.

That ok with you freepers out there?

[Romulox]

25. Get used to a future of groveling for our Chinese masters. Thanks a lot "free traders"! nt

[MetalCanuck]

27. The deals that are called free trade are not actually free trade.

Free trade is good, what we have is managed trade that only
helps the elite.

[Romulox]

29. Right. And "true Communism" has never been tried. It's always the same argument...

The ideology isn't flawed, it's the implementation!!!! :sarcasm:

[Odin2005]

43. There is no such thing as free trade.

There is only trade regulated by the Corporatists for the Corporatists and there is trade regulated by society for the greater good. "Free Trade" in practice just means regulation by the Corporatists for the Corporatists.

[Occulus]

28. Well, then, Mattel, design like you give a damn and that won't happen. n/t

[Daphne08]

30. Never mind our children, huh?

The bastards!! :grr:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

33. This takes the cake

Toxic levels of lead in children's toys and they apologize to the ones who put it there!

This is one crazy, jacked up world.

[ieoeja]

34. Like the President of the US apologizing to China for letting them steal our plane. n/t

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

35. Where do Americans rank in Mattel's apology? 3rd place!!!!!!!

First they apologize to the Chinese government, as represented by a safety official.

Then they apologize to the Chinese people, I guess for giving them a bad rep.

Finally, bringing up the rear in distant third, they apologize to the people whose children they put at risk for IQ deficits, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, stunted or slowed growth, impaired hearing, kidney damage, mental retardation, coma and death.

-snip-

The gesture by Thomas A. Debrowski, Mattel's executive vice president for worldwide operations, came in a meeting with Chinese product safety chief Li Changjiang, at which Li upbraided the company for maintaining weak safety controls.

"Our reputation has been damaged lately by these recalls," Debrowski told Li in a meeting at Li's office at which reporters were allowed to be present.

"And Mattel takes full responsibility for these recalls and apologizes personally to you, the Chinese people, and all of our customers who received the toys," Debrowski said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-china-tainted-products,0,2756432.story


Have a happy lead-free holiday. Boycott the products listed here:

http://www.mattel.com/our_toys/default.asp



:grr:

[NashVegas]

36. About Time

It's American businessmen in their Central Park West apartments who are making the calls to outsource in the first place. They and the stockholders are the ones who bear responsibility for keeping lead paint out of the products they sell in the US.

[OneBlueSky]

41. un-be-fucking-lievable . . . I've fallen down the rabbit hole, and I can't get out . . . n/t

.

[bklyncowgirl]

42. Did China threaten to cut off Mattel's access to the prison factories or something?

Dear me, they might actually have to do to some place where they would PAY their workers. Can't have that now, can we.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

47. I didn't know Mattel was a Democratic controlled company...

"spineless" that is...