At Timbuk Toys in south Denver, manager Linda Meyer hurried to pull the “Deluxe Cranky the Crane Set” boxes off the toy store’s shelves Wednesday afternoon after discovering they could contain parts being recalled by RC2 Corp., a maker of Thomas & Friends toy trains.
“This is a total surprise,” Meyer said after checking the RC2 website and learning that five Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway items were being recalled nationally because of possibly high levels of lead in surface paint.
“We’re getting people coming in and saying, ‘I don’t want anything from China,”‘ Meyer said.
She said she put together a list of toys from Germany and other countries after one customer pleaded, “I don’t want anything from China that’s going to poison my little granddaughter.”
Wednesday’s recall announcements follow a recall of 21 million toys by Mattel Inc., the world’s largest toymaker, since August, including about 2.8 million for lead paint.
RC2, based in Oak Brook, Ill., called back 269,000 Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway items. The recall follows retesting of 1,500 Thomas products after an initial withdrawal of 1.5 million wooden railroad toys in June. No injuries or illnesses have been reported in connection with any of the recalled toys, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
RC2 shares fell $2.49 Wednesday, or 8.6 percent, to $26.50, their largest drop in almost eight weeks.
The recalled Thomas toys were made before April 30, the company said. Lead may be toxic if ingested by children and can cause brain damage and learning problems. Ninety percent of RC2’s toys are made in China, said spokeswoman Nancy Davies.
Craig Gilbert, a manufacturer’s representative who sells RC2 products to about 15 toy sellers in Colorado, said he called about three stores Wednesday and plans to contact others.
“They’re supposed to pull them off the shelves automatically, and RC2 is taking all the products back and giving credit to all the stores,” he said.
China, the world’s biggest exporter of consumer products, has faced pressure from global regulators to strengthen safety checks after products including contaminated toothpaste and tainted pet food were recalled.
The U.S. Senate and House held hearings on the toy recalls in the past two weeks. Lawmakers are considering several proposals in response to the recalls, such as higher penalties for ignoring product-safety laws, budget increases for federal regulators and requiring certification of children’s products for meeting safety guidelines.
Bloomberg News contributed to this report.
Staff writer Karen Rouse can be reached at 303-954-1684 or krouse@denverpost.com.
Recalled toys
Recalls of toys made in China because of dangerous levels of lead paint include:
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
