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Aug 8, 2007 10:12 am US/Eastern
Mattel Identifies Vendor That Made Recalled Toys
Mattel's Recall Hot Line: 1-800-916-4498
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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Mattel's Fisher-Price brand announced a recall of nearly 1 million toys Aug. 2, 2007.
cpsc.gov
Mattel Inc. on Tuesday identified the Chinese vendor that made nearly 1 million Fisher-Price toys that were recalled last week because they may contain lead.
Mattel said Lee Der Industrial Company Ltd., located in Guangdong province, made the 967,000 toys sold under the Fisher-Price brand in the United States between May and August.
Last week, El Segundo-based Mattel recalled the plastic preschool toys, including popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters, because they were made with paint found to have excessive amounts of lead.
Mattel, the world's largest toy maker, apologized to customers for the recall and said the move would cut pretax operating income by $30 million.
Mattel spokeswoman Jules Andres said Tuesday that all the toys that were recalled were made by the one vendor and that the company has "ceased accepting shipments from the facility."
Mattel has shared the name of the vendor with competitors who may also be doing business with the Chinese company, Andres said.
She said she did not know what other toys might have been made at the facility for other companies, but that the company felt it was important for competitors to have the information.
"We do not consider safety to be a competitive advantage," she said.
The Chinese vendor could not immediately be reached for comment. A man at a Lee Der Industrial Company in Guangdong province said it made cardboard boxes, not toys, while a woman who answered the phone at another number listed under the name said that company had gone bankrupt several years ago.
The Fisher-Price recall is the latest in a string of problems involving products imported from China, which makes 80 percent of the world's toys, according to the Toy Industry Association.
In June, RC2 Corp. recalled 1.5 million wooden railroad toys and set parts from its Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line because of lead paint. Those toys were also made in China.
Earlier this year, a Chinese-made pet food ingredient was linked to the deaths of cats and dogs in North America. Since then, Chinese goods ranging from toothpaste to tires have been banned or recalled in numerous countries.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
