Crisis Intervention: Toy testing may change post-Pokemon.
Premiums are, for the most part, safe. But it’s better to be even safer than ultimately sorry.
The U.S. Consumer Protection and Safety Commission (CPSC) is considering a change to its federal guidelines for toy safety following the deaths of two children who suffocated when half of a Burger King Pokemon premium ball got stuck on their faces.
The CPSC may add a requirement that spheres have a hole so they can’t form a vacuum. Meanwhile, CPSC sent notes to all fast-food chains encouraging them to let it preview premiums before distribution. Many chains already do that.
“We preview toys on an informal basis, because Congress hasn’t given us the authority to test them beforehand,” says CPSC spokesman Russ Rader.
Still, industry insiders say they haven’t changed how they design and test toys because it’s already a rigorous process. Most fast-feeders exceed CPSC standards, which stringently guard against choking hazards – the No. 1 cause of toy-related deaths – and sharp edges.
Burger King recalled more than 25 million Pokemon balls in December after a 13-month-old girl suffocated when half of a plastic ball stuck to her face. A four-month-old boy suffocated in January, and an 18-month-old girl nearly suffocated.
BK’s 8,100 restaurants posted recall notices in-store and on tray liners, carry-out bags, and fry bags, and gave a free order of fries to customers returning both halves of the ball. BK also sent notices to 56,000 pediatricians’ offices, 10,000 emergency room directors, and 25,000 emergency healthcare clinics, and posted notes on its own Web site and sites frequented by Pokemon fans and parents.
The crisis made Burger King “challenge all our precautions,” says vp of U.S. marketing Richard Taylor. “We have very sophisticated safety analyses, and tougher guidelines than the federal guidelines.” Among BK’s safety experts is a psychologist who suggests how kids might use – or misuse – toys.
Industry sources call the deaths “a fluke,” noting that the toys were not designed for infants. They were labeled safe for kids under three, but no one foresaw suffocation. “There are no government standards to measure anything like this,” says one agency exec. “There are choking tests for small parts, but no suffocation tests.”
Most chains offer special “under three” toys as an alternative, a practice McDonald’s started in the late 1980s, at least in part due to complaints from parents. Fisher-Price makes McD’s toys.
“There’s a lower risk of problems and less chance of misuse of a toy if it’s designed to be age-appropriate,” says Kathy Vosters, ceo of b. little & co., New York City.
There have been only a handful of premium recalls in the last 15 years. In ’92, McDonald’s recalled “Doc DeLorean” cars from a Back to the Future Happy Meal because nine kids took the tires off, a potential choking hazard. (The tires didn’t come off during CPSC testing.) Parents were allowed to exchange the cars for another premium. In ’97, International Dairy Queen recalled 150,000 toy water batons with end-caps that may have come loose if kids chewed on them. That would release small plastic balls, also a choking hazard. Neither toy caused injuries.
Fast-food premiums must meet CPSC’s standards for all toys. Last year, CPSC recalled 95 toys and children’s products – some 60 million items in all.
