“All the toy recalls are so scary. The holidays have totally changed for us in our household,” said Katie Krantz of Lewiston, mother of two. Recalls of millions of Chinese-made dolls, cars, action figures - and other playthings like Aqua Dots that scientists say contain a chemical that when ingested metabolizes into a harmful drug - have turned Christmas shopping into a nerve-racking experience for Krantz and other concerned adults.
Krantz said she is going to try to avoid buying anything from China. And, she has prepared a what-not-to-get list for friends and family who will buy presents for her children. Among her “please pass on these” items are Fisher-Price Inc.’s Dora character preschool toys, “Cars” toys based on a character in the Disney-Pixar movie “Cars” and Aqua Dots.
“The hardest part is what do you do if your child picks something to get from Santa and you know the toy is not safe for your child? It’s so unfair to everyone that we almost need to keep our children in little bubbles to make sure they are going to be safe,” said Krantz. Laurie St. Pierre, owner of Percy’s Burrow at the Lewiston Mall, stands by her Melissa and Doug brand toys made in China. Her store is full of wooden toys, puzzles, art supplies and giant plush stuffed animals.
“They are a good company. I trust them,” she said. “They have their own factories that they don’t share with anyone else and they have their own employees testing in China.” According to her, the company has been testing its products for 20 years and has an independent third party test its toys again when they enter the United States. St. Pierre doesn’t buy puzzles and toys from a company that makes them in the United States, she said, because the prices would be much higher.