Free Republic

The recall involves the Chinese-made Gigglescape Under the Sea Popping Toy, which features a clear plastic dome on a blue, whale-shaped base. When children push a plunger on top, colored balls pop up inside the dome. According to federal safety regulators, the dome can detach from the base, allowing children access to the small balls inside. Target has received nine reports of the dome detaching, including one incident in which a child began to choke on the loose pieces. The recalled toys were sold exclusively at Target stores nationwide and online from August 2025 through January 2026 for about $10....

LOS ANGELES - Mattel Inc. tried to save face Friday with Chinese officials, taking the blame for the recent recalls of millions of Chinese-made toys as it strives to mend a strained relationship with the nation that makes most of its toys and fattens its profit. The world's largest toy maker sent a top executive to personally apologize to China's product safety chief, Li Changjang, as reporters and company lawyers looked on. 'Mattel takes full responsibility for these recalls and apologizes personally to you, the Chinese people, and all of our customers who received the toys,' Thomas A. Debrowski, Mattel's...

The head of a Chinese toy manufacturing company at the center of a huge U.S. recall has committed suicide, a state-run newspaper said Monday. Zhang Shuhong, who co-owned Lee Der Industrial Co. Ltd., killed himself at a warehouse over the weekend, days after China announced it had temporarily banned exports by the company, the Southern Metropolis Daily said. Lee Der made 967,000 toys recalled earlier this month by Mattel Inc. because they were made with paint found to have excessive amounts of lead. The plastic preschool toys, sold under the Fisher-Price brand in the U.S., included the popular Big Bird,...