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6:04 PM EDT, August 2, 2007
Allison Parlante doesn't usually pay attention to where toys are made, but the Oyster Bay mother said she might start checking labels after the recall of nearly 1 million Fisher-Price toys Thursday.
The toys -- including Big Bird, Elmo and Dora the Explorer figurines -- were pulled from shelves because the paint, applied in China, contains hazardous levels of lead.
The recall follows a series of scares this year involving harmful Chinese imports, from toothpaste to pet food.
"It's really scary to think that's where we get all of our stuff from," said Parlante, whose son turns 1 next week. Jessica Hanlon of Huntington Station said she hadn't heard of the recall as of late Thursday afternoon, but said her 3-year-old daughter owned many Dora toys.
"That affects me a lot and I'm not too happy about it," she said. "If I could buy from a manufacturer that could tell me it didn't get any parts from China, I would do that."
The tainted toys were manufactured between April and July. Fisher-Price said it was able to quarantine two-thirds of the toys before they reached stores, but multiple Long Island retailers were pulling items from their shelves Thursday.
Kathleen Waugh, spokeswoman for Toys "R" Us, said the company was notified of the recall last week, allowing it to stop shipping the toys from its warehouse and pull items from shelves days ago. The chain carried 30 of the 83 types of toys recalled and pulled 300,000 pieces nationwide, Waugh said.
Personnel at KB Toys, which has 17 Long Island locations, removed affected merchandise before the stores opened to the public Thursday morning, said Geoffrey Webb, director of advertising and sales promotion.
Target and Wal-Mart both released statements saying they were removing the products.
Some smaller, specialty toy shops on the Island were also affected by the recall.
"It's almost our whole Dora and Diego line, which we have a lot of," said Pat Aguece, manager of Matty's Toy Stop in Manhasset.
Aguece was uncertain how many toys were removed. Matty's Toy Stop has five locations on Long Island. Alex Dank, owner of Mother Goose Toys in Sayville, said the recall illustrates one reason his shop avoids carrying mass-market items, like those made by Fisher-Price.
"The quality's not the same," he said. "We carry two Dora items and they're not on the list."
Stevenson's Toys and Games in Southampton removed between 50 and 100 pieces, including a set of three Dora figures sold in a tube, said owner Roy Stevenson.
This isn't the first recall to affect Stevenson's this summer.
RC2 Corp. recalled 1.5 million wooden railroad toys from its Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line in June due to lead in Chinese paint.
"The Thomas recall was much more dramatic for us," Stevenson said. "We carry the entire line."
Yet he said the recalls would not affect his decision to continue business with the larger toy makers.
"Both companies have sterling reputations for being great," he said. "I'm concerned, but it's not like I wouldn't carry the toys."
Customers who may have purchased the toys are being instructed to contact Fisher-Price at 800-916-4498 or to log on to http://service.mattel.com.
Copyright © 2007, Newsday Inc.
Allison Parlante doesn't usually pay attention to where toys are made, but the Oyster Bay mother said she might start checking labels after the recall of nearly 1 million Fisher-Price toys Thursday.
The toys -- including Big Bird, Elmo and Dora the Explorer figurines -- were pulled from shelves because the paint, applied in China, contains hazardous levels of lead.
The recall follows a series of scares this year involving harmful Chinese imports, from toothpaste to pet food.
"It's really scary to think that's where we get all of our stuff from," said Parlante, whose son turns 1 next week. Jessica Hanlon of Huntington Station said she hadn't heard of the recall as of late Thursday afternoon, but said her 3-year-old daughter owned many Dora toys.
"That affects me a lot and I'm not too happy about it," she said. "If I could buy from a manufacturer that could tell me it didn't get any parts from China, I would do that."
The tainted toys were manufactured between April and July. Fisher-Price said it was able to quarantine two-thirds of the toys before they reached stores, but multiple Long Island retailers were pulling items from their shelves Thursday.
Kathleen Waugh, spokeswoman for Toys "R" Us, said the company was notified of the recall last week, allowing it to stop shipping the toys from its warehouse and pull items from shelves days ago. The chain carried 30 of the 83 types of toys recalled and pulled 300,000 pieces nationwide, Waugh said.
Personnel at KB Toys, which has 17 Long Island locations, removed affected merchandise before the stores opened to the public Thursday morning, said Geoffrey Webb, director of advertising and sales promotion.
Target and Wal-Mart both released statements saying they were removing the products.
Some smaller, specialty toy shops on the Island were also affected by the recall.
"It's almost our whole Dora and Diego line, which we have a lot of," said Pat Aguece, manager of Matty's Toy Stop in Manhasset.
Aguece was uncertain how many toys were removed. Matty's Toy Stop has five locations on Long Island. Alex Dank, owner of Mother Goose Toys in Sayville, said the recall illustrates one reason his shop avoids carrying mass-market items, like those made by Fisher-Price.
"The quality's not the same," he said. "We carry two Dora items and they're not on the list."
Stevenson's Toys and Games in Southampton removed between 50 and 100 pieces, including a set of three Dora figures sold in a tube, said owner Roy Stevenson.
This isn't the first recall to affect Stevenson's this summer.
RC2 Corp. recalled 1.5 million wooden railroad toys from its Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line in June due to lead in Chinese paint.
"The Thomas recall was much more dramatic for us," Stevenson said. "We carry the entire line."
Yet he said the recalls would not affect his decision to continue business with the larger toy makers.
"Both companies have sterling reputations for being great," he said. "I'm concerned, but it's not like I wouldn't carry the toys."
Customers who may have purchased the toys are being instructed to contact Fisher-Price at 800-916-4498 or to log on to http://service.mattel.com.
Copyright © 2007, Newsday Inc.
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