Magnets Can Kill: Toys

Finally, the CPSC has recalled Magna-Man, Magtastik, Magnimals and Magnetix, Jr. toys

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:39:57 GMT

March 17, 2008 St. Patrick's Day news:

Chicago Tribune article highlights the significant new Mega Brands Inc. magnetic toy recall

Federal safety regulators recalled an additional 2.4 million potentially deadly Mega Brands magnetic toys Monday, at least 14 months after learning there might be problems with some of those products.
In December 2006, a consumer complained to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that magnets could come loose from Mega Brands Magna-Man action figures, one of the toys recalled, according to government records. And last May a Tribune report, which featured an account of a magnet popping out of one of those action figures, questioned whether the company's earlier Magnetix recalls covered all of the potentially hazardous toys in the line.
When the tiny, powerful magnets come loose and are swallowed, they can connect inside a child and rip through intestines.
Mega Brands had sent some of the toys recalled Monday to consumers as presumably safe replacements for Magnetix building sets recalled as a deadly hazard in 2006 and 2007.
Monday's recall comes as Mega Brands is beginning to phase out its Magnetix line and the industry is moving closer to a more stringent safety standard for magnetic toys. The guidelines being considered would not allow manufacturers to sell toys with magnetic parts small enough for a child to swallow. They also would require tougher tests for the remaining toys with powerful magnets.
In all, with Monday's action, more than 10 million Mega Brands products have been recalled for magnet hazards over the past two years. More than 12 million other toys with the tiny magnets also have been recalled.
Problems at agency
The Tribune investigation showed that the safety commission's failure to act promptly on reports of the deadly hazard was emblematic of how the docile and underfunded agency failed to protect children. Kenny Sweet, a suburban Seattle toddler, died, and dozens of other children suffered life-threatening intestinal injuries after swallowing aspirin-size magnets that came loose from Magnetix building sets.
The series prompted congressional hearings, which led to legislation that would overhaul the agency, known as the CPSC.
It was a friend of the Sweet family...who noticed problems with the Magna-Man figures after Kenny died. In December 2006, she told a CPSC investigator who came to her home that the toy had shed a magnet while her children played with it. Records show the CPSC investigator sent...the broken toy to the agency's headquarters. In addition, the Tribune report last May detailed how magnets fell out of a Sir Lancelot Magna-Man....
Mega Brands quietly discontinued Magna-Man in June, though a company spokesman said it had nothing to do with the Tribune report.
A CPSC spokeswoman declined to comment on when her agency first learned that magnets were coming loose from the toys. Asked why the agency didn't move faster, she said the CPSC needed to investigate the toys and negotiate the details of the recall while also dealing with demands from Congress. In addition, the agency was busy last summer with a record number of recalls related to lead paint in toys, according to the spokeswoman, Julie Vallese.
"The same people that would be investigating and working on toys with lead paint would be some of those same people that would have other parts of toy investigations as their responsibility," Vallese said.
The CPSC last August listed toys with loose, powerful magnets as the No. 1 "hidden home hazard."
Toys included in recall
The toys recalled Monday were 1.3 million Magna-Man action figures and 1.1 million preschool toys called Magnetix Jr. and Magtastik. In all, there were 44 reports of magnets coming loose from these toys.
The CPSC cited one injury and a close call with the preschool toys. A 3-year-old boy playing with the toys had to have a magnet removed from his nasal cavity, while an 18-month-old boy was caught with a magnet in his mouth before he had a chance to swallow it.
When it came to the preschool toys, Mega Brands initially wanted to recall only certain pieces in which the magnets were coming loose, while the CPSC wanted the entire product line to be recalled. Late last week, Mega Brands agreed, said company spokesman Harold Chizick.
"Given all the information we had, we wanted to take the most cautious approach to this as we could," Chizick said. "We wanted to avoid confusion. Telling the consumer that certain parts were good and certain parts needed to be returned, it was just too confusing."
He said neither product had gone through any design changes due to magnets coming loose.
Chizick declined to comment on when the company first learned that the magnets were popping out and declined to detail when the incidents with the 3-year-old or 18-month-old occurred. Consumers who own any of the toys are eligible to receive a free replacement toy from Mega Brands.
Mega Brands is phasing out Magnetix and plans to launch a new line of magnetic construction toys called MagNext this summer. In the new toys, which the company developed with the help of testing lab Intertek, the magnets are more tightly encased with a stronger plastic. The pieces are too large to be swallowed by a child.
The American Academy of Pediatrics last year suggested a ban on toys that contain magnetic pieces small enough for a child to swallow. But major toymakers opposed such a ban at that time.
A safety-standards panel made up largely of toy industry executives said last spring it would study the issue. Arthur Kazianis, the Hasbro executive who headed the group, said he and his competitors agreed to such a ban when more data emerged showing that children were injured by whole toy pieces as well as just magnets that had come loose from toys.
"The injuries are there," he said last month. "We need to do something."
Because such safety standards are built on consensus, the proposed toy standard must wind its way through a bureaucratic process before enactment.
The CPSC reform legislation passed by the Senate this month would make the voluntary toy safety guidelines mandatory. The Senate is ironing out a compromise with the House, which passed a reform bill that did not include such a provision.
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pcallahan@tribune.com
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HIDDEN HAZARDS
Find the Tribune investigation of dangerous toys at
http://chicagotribune.com/hazards

MagnaMan action figures recalled - 1.3 million sets

As reported on this blog and highlighted on the pages of the Chicago Tribune, the family who made the video above also found TWO Magnaman toys that they bought to be defective, with tiny powerful magnets popping out within minutes of opening the packages did not act until March 2008.

Filming her own children playing with a variety of Magnetix toys, she has documented numerous cases of them failing. In the latest incident, she said, magnets fell out of a Sir Lancelot Magna-Man action figure she bought in mid-February [2007]. Two of her children noticed that a magnet fell out of the neck of the action figure within minutes of opening the package.

Incidents/Injuries: MEGA Brands and CPSC have received 25 reports of magnets coming loose from the figures.

Name	Color	Model #	Name	Model #
Alien	Green	28170	Robot Assortment	28198
Robotor	Red	28171	Vac Metal	28327
Flame	Orange	28172	4-Pack	28175
Gigantor	Blue	28173	3-Pack	28393
Toyoto the Samurai	Purple	28164	2-Pack	28392
Sir Lancelot the Knight	Gray	28165	Vac Metal Assortment	28327
Eric the Viking	Blue	28166	Assortment	28254 or 28199
Brutus the Gladiator	Yellow	28167

Magtastik, Magnimals and Magnetix Jr. juvenile toys recalled - 1.1 million units

Magtastik and Magnetix, Jr. are relatively new preschool toys designed by MEGA Brands specifically for children age 3 and up. Many consumer advocates questioned whether the company whose design and production quality standards had already resulted in two worldwide recalls of millions of "Magnetix" building sets could be trusted to produce a safe toddler/preschool toy that contained the very same deadly magnets. Now we have our answer!

Incidents/Injuries: MEGA Brands and CPSC have received 19 reports of magnets coming loose, including one report of a 3-year-old boy receiving medical treatment to remove a magnet from his nasal cavity and one report of an 18-month-old boy with a magnet in his mouth, which was not swallowed.

Name of Product	Model #	Name of Product	Model #
Magtastik Starter Set	427	40 Piece Tub	468
Magtastik Deluxe Set	428	Deluxe New Starter Set	467
Primary	429	Wonder Coaster	465
Primary Starter	431	Starter Set ' New Parts	496
Car	434	Magnimals ' Monkey	424
Helicopter	435	Magnimals ' Dog	425
Fun Pack	448	Magnimals ' Dinosaur	426
Jumbo 24 Piece Bag	456	Magnimals Assortment	423
Round Bag	461	Mag Mobile Assortment	433
12 Piece Mag Bag	462	Magnimals Pet Set	436
Target Bucket	466	Magnimals Bonus Pack	446
		Easter Pack	469

Toys still missing from the recall notices

Previous recalls issued by the CPSC in conjunction with Rose Art Industries and Mega Bloks/MEGA Brands included only toys carrying the name "Magnetix", although it was obvious to the layperson that the Magna Man sets, among other models, had the same magnetic action and content as the recalled Magnetix Extreme and Magnetix building sets containing rods, links, squares, triangles and metal balls.

A gaping hole remains in the almost universal recall of all MEGA Brands magnetic toys: What about Mag Warrior and Marvel magnetic action figures marketed by MEGA Brands which have a very similar design to their Magna-Man action figures?

Also part of the gaping black hole - should these new magnetic toys from the same manufacturer also be recalled? Magnabug, Magnasaur, Magnawheels, Magna Monster, Magnalogs, Magna Model, Magna Bones, Magnaformers? For example: would you trust that these magnetic toys are safe for your youngsters to play with? Spheron Triple Car Launcher, Woolly Mammoth, Saber-Tooth Tiger, Woolly Rhino, T-Rex, Saber Tooth, Tri-Top, Pterodaktyl, Mantis Racer, Rocket Racer, Fighter Racer with Rocket Launcher, Mantic Racer with Rocket Launcher, Probe Racer with Gravity Launcher, Rocket Racer with Gravity Launcher, iCoaster, Spider-Man 3 Action Vehicle Set, Stegosaurus, Tyranno, Spider-Man 3 Venom, Spider-Man 3 Symbiote, Spider-Man 3 Jet Pack? Why wait until dozens of incident reports come in and the CPSC takes action to recall these look-a-like models not included in the three official recalls? Parents should carefully consider allowing their children to play with any MEGA Brands or Rose Art magnetic toy.

Swallowing danger from Magnetix ball bearings

In another continuing tragic saga, the blog Play Library has a string started in March, 2006 that now tracks over 180 comments where parents have reported their children swallowing the metal ball contained in many Magnetix models. Many of the writers have called for the removal of Magnetix products from store shelves on that basis alone. Yes, it is legal to sell a toy that contains a metal ball if (1) the toy is marketed to children age 3 and over and (2) it contains a warning that it contains small parts or a small ball which can cause a choking hazard for children under age 3. However, these particular Magnetix shiny balls have been so tempting for children of all ages that dozens of older children have needed trips to the doctor or emergency room, days or weeks of supervision and multiple x-rays to make sure that no magnets were swallowed and that the sphere(s) "come out the other end". An example:

My 7 year old son came to me tonight and told me he swallowed that little silver ball!...I came on line to look it up and I cannot believe how long this has been happening and he only received this magnetix toy this past Christmas; it’s not off the shelves yet after all these incidents? That’s is just sad. Someone tell me what to do to get these toys off the shelves? I am calling my pediatrician in the morning.

Magnabild magnetic building sets recalled

Another magnetic building set, Magnabild, was recalled on March 13, 2008 and January 23, 2008 by the CPSC in cooperation with Battat Inc. of Plattsburg, NY. Approximately 132,000 sets had been sold.

Breaking news you need to know - major recall of Polly Pocket magnetic toys by the CPSC at the start of the 2006 holiday gift giving season

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 18:49:47 GMT

November 21, 2006 - Read the official Mattel Polly Pocket Magnetic Play Sets recall notice here !

View more photos at our Polly Pocket magnetic toys photo album

and check out a site "all about Polly!"

News about the CPSC Polly Pocket recall:

CPSC video featuring Acting Chairman Nancy Nord of the U.S. Consumer Prouct Safety Commission, transcript (in English and Spanish) of the CPSC video, and CPSC official recall notice for the 8 magnetic models

Watch the video: new details come to light - in July, 2005 a 7-year old girl in Indianapolis inadvertently swallowed 2 magnets after carrying tiny toys with her mouth. (Hmmm, if this injury occurred over a year ago why is this toy being recalled just NOW?)

Indiannapolis Star interviews the girl and her family; reports they have filed a lawsuit against Mattel as a result of injuries she suffered after her mother purchased the Polly Pocket Quik-Clik Boutique Playset at KMart

Video and story from MSNBC Consumer News

Video and story from Citytv (Toronto, Canada)

Polly Pocket magnetic toys official recall notice and news story in Australia as well

WCPO in Cincinnati's straightforward commentary
Video of a CBS broadcast in New York
Annys Shin's article in the Washington Post

-Her newsworthy follow-up story: "Magnets--Not to be Toyed With"

ABC Good Morning America's article
The Houston Chronicle's piece about Polly Pocket brings in US PIRG's call for mandatory warning labeling for magnetic toys
WebMD's write-up
Story from NBC News Fort Myers, FL
Mattel Inc.'s (NYSE: MAT) most recent 10-Q report filed with the SEC, contained the company's standard disclosure of potential risks due to "recalls"
Read the Fox News (from a High Point, North Carolina station) story
How the Polly Pocket recall affects Canadian families, from the Vancouver Sun
Video broadcast by CBS Washington, D.C.
Bay-area, CA Fox TV news story highlights the aspiration danger of the tiny magnets from magnetic Polly Pocket sets
The Detroit Free Press' description of Dangerous toys lurking in stores
Report from financial news-source Reuters (Mattel Inc. is publicly traded - MAT.N: Quote)
Newsday's article from the Associated press
Watch Seattle's KOMO TV's annual Toy Test Part I and Toy Test Part II to find the best educational toys, plus safety resources
Independent station WFMZ-TV (Lehigh Valley and Berks County, PA) features the Polly Pockets recall
The Lowell Sun, Massachusetts, features Magnetix Micro and Polly Pockets as hazardous toys
Mattel Consumer Relations recall information
Mattel Consumer Relations recall form with list of affected magnetic Polly Pocket! Playset Assortments
Mattel Consumer Relations action steps if you have an affected product and live in the United States or Canada (no matter when you bought the toy)
Mattel's 2005 news release describing the "Quick-Clik" magnetic set
Will magnetic Polly Pocket toys be added the RAPEX list of official recalls in the European Union?

Lawsuit filed by family of 6-year old Wyoming boy injured by magnets he swallowed from Polly Pocket toys:

The harrowing tale of the boy's family is told here. They are represented by the law firm Osborn Machler (the very same law firm that represented all 15 families in out-of-court settlements for similar Magnetix injuries and one death from Magnetix Xtreme Combo)

Osborn Machler's news release issued the same day (!) as the Mattel recall, and their updated cautions about magnetic toys

Polly Pocket recall blogged at:

A tasteless Polly Pocket joke
Indiannapolis Star
A Clockwork Orange
A Consumer Retorts
US PIRG
About:Parenting
at Blogging Baby
the Washington Post
The Consumerist
on a mother's blog
Oakland Injury Board
My Little Pony enthusiasts blog for 3 pages about the Polly Pocket recall and the whether magnets in the feet of some My Little Pony models could also be swallowed
and Amazon.com consumer reviewers describe magnets falling out of sets they bought for their daughters (why is Amazon selling recalled toys, new and used?)

Major non-profit consumer safety advocacy groups release tips for safe holiday toys:

Read the new advisory released by the CPSC in November regarding toy age labeling and magnetic safety now!

"Here are CPSC’s Top Safe Shopping Tips for this year:

Magnets – For children under age six, avoid building sets with small magnets. If swallowed, serious injuries and/or death can occur.

The US Product Interest Research Group releases its annual "Trouble in Toyland" report

Executive Summary of the US PIRG report
Pictures of major toy offenders for 2006 (see Magnetix by MEGA Brands and Claire's Magnetic Earrings p. 13)
US PIRG's colorful Toy Safety brochure
Chart of toy-related deaths during the period 1990-2005

View this slide show of W.A.T.C.H.'s hit list of "Most Dangerous Toys" 2006
MarketWatch from Dow Jones spotlights the Mattel Polly Pocket injuries and the Top-10 dangerous toy list
Here are some popular and highly-rated alternatives to magnetic toys for the holiday season:

MSN Money's article about "going digital": the Toys "R" Us Fabulous 15 list of hot toys

Link to our bizarre yet fascinating VIDEOS about magnetic toys

Link to Site Map

How to contact Product Safety Mom Shop at Amazon.com!

Mega Brands floods the market with new magnetic toys - will holiday season sales bonanza bring a new round of safety concerns?

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 04:45:32 GMT

What's up with MEGA Brands these days? Well, they've been busy! They have 13 or more lawsuits pending against them for 1 death and at least 12 injuries in children due to Magnetix or Magnaman toys purchased in the last couple of years. The larger public first became aware of the hazards when Penny Sweet, the grieving mother of Kenny Sweet, Jr., told her story on television before Christmas 2005. The Sweet family was hoping to raise awareness of the problems with these toys and convince even a few families not to buy them as gifts only to end up facing the same horror they did when they raced their toddler to the emergency room on Thanksgiving Day. Did Mrs. Sweet's brave efforts save any children? Quite possibly. As a result of the news pieces, the CPSC opened an investigation and some parents thought twice before buying the toy. Or decided not to buy it for their 3-year old child because they also had a 1-year old in the home. Or tried to make sure all the panels, links and balls were put up when their child finished playing the toy. (Did they understand that little silver magnets might have fallen out and lodged in their rug?) But not all toy consumers, especially outside the Pacific Northwest, had heard the news about kids swallowing the tiny neodymium magnets and those powerful pieces connecting in their stomachs.

On March 31, 2006 the CPSC finally took action. No, the public protection agency did not outright ban Magnetix, they did not fine Rose Art, and they did not take the manufacturer to court. Instead, the CPSC issued a statement about a Magnetix replacement program:

Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately.
This product is unsuitable for young children.
Consumers should stop using the magnetic sets and return the sets to Rose Art for a free replacement product suitable for young children under the age of 6.
Consumers should be sure to keep all small magnet parts out of the hands of children who mouth objects, especially children under the age of three.

Only one problem! This was a voluntary program, and due to the manufacturer Rose Art's unwillingness, retailers were not required to remove the toys from the shelves. Mega Bloks went right on selling Magnetix and Magnaman while offering to replace any Magnetix sets that parents felt "uncomfortable with". Stores were supposed to prominently display signs about the recall for 90 days, but most didn't. Anyway, what would you think if you saw a warning notice next to a box on the shelf? Wouldn't you assume the packages for sale in front of your very eyes were a new version with whatever flaws fixed? Actually, consumers couldn't tell if any improvements were made since there were no "before" and "after" markings disclosed. Tragically, more children were injured, requiring intestinal surgery, from magnets they consumed AFTER the March 31 voluntary product replacement notice. The word just hasn't gotten out well enough.

Going on one year, the CPSC still hasn't finished their investigation of magnetic toys yet and the dangers of NIB magnets in children's toys. They may be hoping the toy industry will come up with its own warning label for certain magnetic toys and that will do the job to protect our children.

While the Magnetix lawsuits, labeling and investigation are still pending, MEGA Bloks changed its name to MEGA Brands and put its hyperactive marketing engine to work. To shift resources away from magnetic toys would be to admit defeat! Company representatives always stated that injuries are largely the fault of inattentive parents. We should be watching all of our children at all time. Instead of turning their aspirations elsewhere, management decided to go-for-broke. They boldly "doubled down" their quest for the coolest, most hip magnetic toys that might capture the imaginations of young kids this holiday season. The lifecycle for old-school plastic lego-type megabloks, crayons and art sets is what marketing gurus call "mature", meaning a slow growth rate, lots of competitors, and low profit margins. The pressure on a publicly traded corporation like MEGA Brands (Public, TSE:MB and Over the Counter, US:MBLKF or OOTC:MBLKF) to bring in profits and keep the stock price high is intense. Youngsters these days want excitement and novelty. Their ad agency has created a suite of frantic new ads with violent overtones guaranteed to capture a child's attention. Will your boys and girls see the ads on Saturday morning TV for Magnasaurs, Magnabug, Magnawheels, Magnaman, Mag Warriors, magnetic Marvel action figures, Magtastik, Magnetix Jr. in addition to completely new model names and shapes of plain old Magnetix? Will your children go to the website and watch the new animations pop out at them, enter contests and join in other activities designed to get kids to put these toys on their "must have list" for the holidays? MEGA Brands' audacious new campaign has an added component - marketing to parents' trigger points as well. Every toy on their website is rated for its learning benefits (Imagination! Problem Solving Abilities! Confidence!) and the materials for Magtastik in particular emphasize that creative, unstructured play with building toys can lead to intellectual development in pre-schoolers. *User reviews* *Product reviews* *Comparison* *Opinions* *Compare products*

Here are our reviews of the Magnaman line - beware. (Gigantor, Flame, Alien, Robotor, Sir Lancelot, Toyoto, Eric, Brutus, Captain One Eyed Jack, Izor, Drazor) See above, a powerful magnet in the Alien's shield fell out of one family's Magna Man toy as soon as they opened the box.

Here is our review of the Mag Warrior toys - beware.

Here is our review of the new Magnawheels magwheels line - beware. (Hummer H2, Dune Buggy, Jeep, Corvette, Semi-Truck)

Here is our review of the new Magnasaurs dinosaur toys - beware. (Tri-Tops, Raptor, T-Rex)

Here is our review of the new Magnabug line - beware. (Magna Spider, Magna Beetle, Magna Praymantis)

Here is our review of the new Marvel magnetic action figures - beware. (Spiderman, Wolverine, Hulk)

Here is our review of the new Magna Monster magnetic creatures - beware.

Here is our review of the Magnetix toys, including Magnetix Xtreme, Magnetix Extreme Combo and all the new models - beware unless and until the toys are tested by an independent body to make sure the magnets do not fall out of the ends of the links or corners of the panels and cubes.

Here is our review of Magnetix Micro - do not buy, zero stars. All the parts in these sets are of a swallowable size and this toy contains powerful magnets. Children up to age 11 have swallowed Magnetix magnets. Why? Because they look like candy, or just because they were there.

Are you shopping on eBay? Please be aware that used Magnetix toys you are buying or selling online or at a garage sales may have been subject to a recall notice.

Our kids won't be keeping with any magnetic toys from Mega Brands, no matter what they name them. If we can impress upon you one thing, it would be -- these new "Magna-this" "Magna-that" toys look exciting, but you might want to consider skipping them this season. The CPSC has NOT approved them. Let's wait until we are sure these toys are safe to have in your home or school.

On the other hand, if you have already bought Magnetix, heed the advice of the non-profit safety advocacy group Kids In Danger:

Parents should return all Magnetix toys purchased before April, 2006 to Rose Art for a replacement toy.
In addition, discontinue use and return any newer sets that lose magnets.

Top Outdoor and Sports Toys for Sale

Go here for videos on Polly Pocket, Magnetix and Geomags

Tue, 19 Sep 2006 20:36:39 GMT

Watch these stories online now:

New! CPSC streaming video notifying the public of the Polly Pocket magnetic playset recall (English and Spanish!) (Featuring Acting Chairman Nancy Nord!) (Includes videos of the eight recalled toys and girls playing with the products.) Transcript

New! CBS (Washington, D.C.) reported on the recall of Polly Pocket magnetic toys

New! NBC News' video about Polly Pocket, Magnetix featuring a representative from US PIRG

New! Exclusive home video of Magnetix Xtreme magnets ripping through plastic bags

**magnets can kill**

New! BuyTV's top 10 toys for the week (no Magnetix, but features a Lego robotic toy)

BuyTV Top 10 in Toys for the Week of 10-31

Every commercial ever made by Mega Brands (or almost)

New! November, 2006 - Marianne Symanski, president of Toy Tips Magazine presents recommendations for educational toys on CBS's Early Show (hint - no Mega Brands toys!)

October 25, 2006 - ABC Seattle

October 4, 2006 - CBS, Magtastik Magnimals featured in slide show of Hot Holiday Toys for 2006

Quick Time video of car commercial - Honda Element made out of mega bloks

September 18, 2006 - ABC Flint, Michigan

September 15, 2006 - ABC Seattle (a baby injured; also manufacturer discloses magnet label for all Magnetix packages)

August 23, 2006 - Business Week's slide show and commentary on new Mega Brands toy line-up for the fall

June 23, 2006 - Consumer demonstrates and critiques RoseArt's Magnetix 70-piece Magnetic Building Set

August 6, 2006 -5 second Magnetix Extreme Combo home video - robot figure

Ad for Magnetix building contest on Nick.com

August, 2006 - Mega Brands promotional video for Magtastik on iParenting

August, 2006 - Mega Brands promotional contest for Magtastik on iParenting

June 14 - ABC Seattle