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Posted February 23, 2009
The toy industry has given itself a black eye in the arena of safety and has mishandled the problem about as well as can be done. Toy companies, and by extension our industry, irritated the governments of China and the US and made the public suspicious of our good stewardship of the quality and safety of toys that we provide for their precious children.
Like the handling of the famous Tylenol scare long ago, industry leaders could have, should have stood up, admitted failures of oversight, shouldered the responsibility, rather than lay low, attempt to pass blame, or even act holier-than-thou in drawing comparisons between themselves and other companies.
As a result, all manner of restrictive legislation has been passed for which the industry and all in it will suffer. In their desire to appear as white knights to the rescue to their constituents, politicians have written and passed regulations that go beyond fair and reasonable - that are both punitive and verge on the ridiculous. Some of what is now prohibited would be humorous in its absurdity were it not for the fact that so many companies may be faced with bankruptcy as a result.
As I understand it, these laws are retroactive. These new standards apply to all toys, even those toys which met yesterday's standard and are already on the market. Ma and Pa stores, thrift shops, as well as major retailers are faced with the daunting, if not ruinous task of testing all toys on their shelves, removing and destroying any that do not pass, or face severe criminal penalties.
Logic has not prevailed. The consequences will not be significantly safer toys, but the loss of many jobs, closure of stores, and an increase in the cost of toys. Already, some reports indicate as many as 10,000 Chinese factories have closed, or will close by end of this year.
For decades the toy industry has been very attentive to the issues of safety. And mistakes and failures in oversight have occurred. By now many changes and improvements have been made, and a greater commitment still to consumer safety has been made by the Toy Industry of America (TIA) and virtually all the mass market toy companies. In the end, I hope reason will prevail alongside good safety standards and practices. I hope to be one voice of reason in striking this balance.
I would like to acknowlege the tireless efforts of Mr. Alan Hassenfeld of the Hasbro family, Mr. Danny Grossman of Wild Planet, and other members and staff of the TIA for their heroic work behind the scenes. The entire industry owes you a round of applause.
We are committed to creating great products that entertain, illuminate, inspire and delight. I hope we can work together one day, or in some way touch your life and leave a lasting positive impression.
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