Question About The Mattel Toy Recall...........

[global1]

Does anybody know anything about the toy business?

I would think if I were Mattel I would provide a prospective manufacturer with a specification sheet on the toy to be made. I would do this with any company that I would be putting my brand name on as my reputation is at stake(even a Chinese company). Before I would accept shipment and pay for the product I would test the product to make sure that it was manufactured in compliance to the specifications.

If the specifications indicated that non-leaded paint needed to be used and my testing showed the manufacturer used leaded paint - the shipment would be rejected.

If the specifications called for parts to be of a certain size and the parts came in out-of-spec - again I would reject the shipment.

The only toys that would reach the market would be ones where they were manufactured to spec.

Didn't Mattel do this?

Beyond that - some of the toys that were recalled were Disney licensed designs. So the same goes for Disney. If I were Disney doing business with Mattel - again I would lay out specifications and if these were not met - the toy would not be released into the marketplace.

What happened in this recall? We have two - major - well known - reputable - companies involved in this recall.

Were both companies derelict in their responsibilities? Were they cutting corners? Don't they spec out their products? Do they care?

Will Disney sue Mattel? Could Disney sue Mattel? My guess is that if Disney didn't hold Mattel's feet to the fire - then there is no basis for a lawsuit.

[Kagemusha]

1. What I read the other day was... Mattel & others used to do that testing.

They outsourced the testing to THE SUPPLIERS in order to reduce costs. The suppliers, obviously, have reasons to not look too hard for defects of their own making. Which works for them until the whole thing blows up, like it did just now.

Legally speaking, the company doing the importation - in this case, Mattel - is responsible for the product, i.e. even though Mattel outsourced it and didn't identify deficiencies in that testing, the responsibility lies with Mattel, even if the fault originated with the supplier. And so, Mattel has recalled the toys.

So that's the situation. I wouldn't know about the rest of the picture, but this part seems pretty clear based on what I've read through DU over the last couple of days.

[Breeze54]

5. Mattel is being sued up the Ying-Yang!!

Xmas will be, All AMERICAN MADE THIS YEAR!!! :woohoo: :woohoo:

[Kagemusha]

11. So no toys for anyone.

Thank you, Mr. Grinch.

[napi21]

6. Yes, I heard that too. It is the responsibility of the buyer to make sure

what they ordered is what they got! I question if every one of these toys , from the very first ones, were made using the leaded paint, or if the mfg. changed the process in mid stream. If these were the first, then Mattel is at fault. IF the mfg. changed their process in mid stream, then I can understand why Mattel would have simply assumed everything was the same.

I doubt we'll ever know.

[marions ghost]

2. yesterday

I was at a toy store in the mall to buy a couple of small b'day presents for my two nieces ages 1 & 3. So I was looking at the toys for the youngest among us. It was nearly impossible to find anything not made in China. The wooden toys were all so cute & colorful--puzzles, little cars and trains, blocks etc--but I kept looking at the paint and mentally going "nah....but maybe...nah, maybe it's not on the recall list...but maybe it is....

While I was standing there in mental gyrations (for what I consider absurd reasons--I mean Why?!?)...
there were two women standing behind me talking. I heard them pawing over the toys and one said, "everything is made in China." They left without buying anything.

Hmmmm....when it comes to kids people are going to be cautious.

[Bluestar]

3. I worked at Mattel for 5 years--worked at Disney too

Mattel used to be fanatical about safety--in fact, their standards were higher than the government standards. Constant inspections too. I left in 1993 and something has changed. Could it be the CEO, Bob Eckert from Kraft Foods? Either the Quality and Safety department had their clout taken away or someone in the chain to China was paid off. This is only my opinion, I don't yet know anything. I plan to contact some old friends in a few days to see what was going on. One thing is sure, under their old system this would not have happened and it should not have happened now. Maybe the toy business is different than the cheese business.

The Disney-Mattel toys are a licensee arrangement. Mattel pays a license fee to Disney but the toys are shipped under the Mattel label and Mattel is responsible from concept to delivery.

[Breeze54]

4. Apparently, not high enough.

:shrug:

"Mattel used to be fanatical about safety--in fact, their standards were higher than the government standards."

"USED to be" being the operative phrase. :(

[Cobalt-60]

7. They've boned themselves.

In a porn loop that would get my applause for agility.
On the part of a business It's just plain stupid.
Outsourcing produces absentee business people.
They produce the same miserable results as absentee landlords.
They don't care to be called in off the back 9 to hear about details,
just so long as the profits roll in.
Only the direct, immediate, and in house involvement of management ensures quality.
Outsourcing gets us lead painted toys, poisoned pet food, and unemployed Americans.
It's time to shitcan the whole idea.

[marions ghost]

8. Yep

:applause:

[marions ghost]

9. Anybody want to

start up an American-made nontoxic toy company real quick? ;-)

Looks like an opportunity there...

[sandnsea]

10. Melissa & Doug tests every shipment

They're the main toy company that me and my daughter end up buying, so I called and emailed a month or so ago. I got very quick response from some executive or other, who assured me that testing the paint was a high priority. It wasn't one of those placating conversations, they really seemed to care. Melissa & Doug are parents who created a wooden toy company, lots of awards and such.

There's a toy association and what really needs to happen is for parents to go after that association because they're the ones LOBBYING against regulation.

[spanone]

12. america is ALL about profit, profit, profit. fuck kids, fuck consumers.