BOSTON – Dinosaur claws inspired by the movie “Jurassic World” and a quick-folding trampoline are among the items on a consumer watchdog group’s annual list of hazardous toys released Wednesday.
The Massachusetts-based World Against Toys Causing Harm says the toys singled out as the 10 most dangerous for Christmas this year represent common problems and aren’t the only potentially dangerous products on the market.
The Toy Industry Association says all toys for sale on U.S. shelves go through some of the strictest safety requirements in the world, including more than 100 safety tests and standards and certification by an independent, federally approved testing lab.
The trade group says WATCH doesn’t even test the toys it names. WATCH doesn’t dispute this, saying it’s simply providing easy ways for parents to identify toy risks.
“Their allegations are based on pure conjecture and opinion,” the toy association said in a statement. “When examined and reviewed, year after year these lists have repeatedly shown to be full of false claims and needlessly frighten parents and caregivers.”
WATCH President Joan Siff said 3 million units of toys have been recalled just in the past year for defects that could injure children. Many of the toys were still on store shelves when recalls were issued, she said.
“The $22 billion-a-year toy industry should be asking what they can do better to protect children instead of making blanket statements that ‘toys sold on U.S. toy shelves are safe,”’ she said.
Many of the toys on this year’s list can be found at major retailers such as Toys R Us, Wal-Mart and Kmart. They also can be bought from online sites such as Amazon.com and ebay.
The velociraptor claws are child-sized dinosaur gloves made of foam and can cause eye and facial injuries, WATCH said. And the trampoline can lead to injuries during use and assembly, the advocacy group said.
A Play-Doh-like substance that looks like poop also made this year’s list. WATCH says the “Poo-Dough” contains wheat and could cause allergy-related injuries such as hives, headaches and difficulty breathing.
Here’s WATCH’s list of the 10 worst toys for 2015:
“Bud” Skipit’s Wheely Cute Pull Along. Potential for choking injuries; made by Bunnies By The Bay; $29.99
Foam dart gun. Realistic toy weapon; made by GD.Jiefeng Toys; $13.99.
Stats’ 38” quick-folding trampoline. Potential for head, neck and other injuries; by Toys R Us, Inc.; $49.99.
Poo-Dough. Potential for allergy-related injuries (warning label says it contains wheat); by Skyrocket Toys; $4.99.
Splat X Smack Shot. Potential for eye injuries; by Imperial Toy; $10.
Kick Flipper. Potential for head and other bodily injuries; by Playsmart; $19.99.
Leonardo’s Electronic Stealth Sword. Potential for blunt force injuries; by Playmates International Company; $24.99.
Kid Connection doctor play set. Potential for ingestion and choking injuries; by Wal-Mart Stores Inc.; $4.97.
Pull Along Zebra: Potential for strangulation and entanglement injuries; by Early Learning Centre; $20.99.
Jurassic World velociraptor claws. Potential for eye and facial injuries; by Hasbro; $19.99.
