If nothing else, the Toy Industry will remember 2007 as “the year of the recall.” Millions of toys were deemed harmful, China became the focus of intense scrutiny, and the future of toy manufacturing came into question. This emphasis was intensified by the onslaught of the toy-buying season with headlines screaming about deadly toys and kids in immediate danger. While some of the reports may have been overblown, the overall message is one we must remember – just because the holidays are over is no reason to forget the seriousness of toy safety.
Chances are, your local media will not be outing unsafe toys at the top of their nightly broadcast or even in the front section of their publications. They did that between July and December because toys are all the rage then. But now, toys are “old hat,” until the summer toys come out.
Safety should not be seasonal. To concerned parents and caregivers, finding a safe toy is not a “flavor of the month” or just something to increase ratings and readership – toy safety is a very real and worrisome problem we all need to keep in mind.
Don’t let manufacturers get sloppy. Don’t let your elected officials forget your concerns, and don’t let your local media stop caring. We all want to keep our children safe. Even one child is too great a sacrifice for commerce. The children depend on us.
December 28, 2007
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