Cinders and Ashes! It Keeps Getting Worse

Front page of the Chicago Tribune today: Recalled Thomas toys in stores. As a co-worker of mine would say, “Shocker.”

The recall process is broken. RC2 isn’t pulling toys out of the distribution channel, or trying very hard. That was obvious in Green Bay, and now its been confirmed all over the state of Illinois. Even more interesting - it looks like the recall may get expanded.

This isn’t an easily visible fault with the toys we’re dealing with here, either. For the types of recalls where an item may break and expose sharp edges, you can only fault the company so much. Most parents can recognize when a toy has become dangerous - it’s called keeping an eye on your kids. But these are wooden toys that pose a long term risk. It’s not like your child becomes violently ill from lead poisoning right away. The effects, while quick, don’t appear immediately after ingestion.

And to all the critics who blame parents for “buying those cheap toys from China” I challenge you to go look at how much these trains cost. They are not cheap. Most cost upwards of $15-$20 for something that’ll fit in the palm of your hand. I really question how much they’d be if they were manufactured in the US. Yes, labor rates are a lot higher here, but the margins on those things has got to be astronomical. There is sure to be plenty of room to have them safely manufactured here, where there are regulations against things like lead based paint.