The Toy Association Statement about Toy Safety and the U.S. PIRG Annual Toy Reports

Each year around this time there are several things we have come to count on – one is the annual list of alleged “toys to avoid” created by groups such as U.S. PIRG.

As part of its ongoing efforts to provide parents and caregivers with accurate information about safe play, The Toy Association recently conducted a comprehensive analysis of all PIRG “Trouble in Toyland” reports from 2008 through 2013. The analysis determined that PIRG’s data is unreliable and fails to support the allegations that the toys identified in its reports present any danger to children at play. In fact, none of the supposedly hazardous toys identified in PIRG’s “Trouble in Toyland Report” from 2008 through 2013 have subsequently been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the federal agency charged with oversight of toy safety.

Members of the toy industry are intent on assuring that the toys consumers bring into their homes are safe for their families …. and we maintain our priority focus on toy safety every day of the year.

As an industry that creates magical products for children, we hold ourselves to the highest possible standard of care. This is why The Toy Association works year-round to ensure that U.S. toy safety standards remain the most protective in the world. We educate all toy stakeholders – especially manufacturers and retailers – about these strict U.S. toy safety requirements and the mandatory steps necessary to demonstrate compliance with them. If a toy fails to meet these tough national standards, we want that product out of the stream of commerce.

The toy industry works in close cooperation with government agencies such as the U.S. CPSC and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, medical experts, consumer groups and others who can help us meaningfully enhance the safety of our industry’s products. We are especially proud that the CPSC consistently ranks toys among the safest of 15 consumer product categories commonly found in the home.

Providing safe toys for children is the industry’s highest priority; assuring that all play is safe is a responsibility we share with parents and other caregivers. Education and information is the best way to help families select the ‘perfect’ toys for their children … a ‘perfect’ toy is one that is age appropriate and matches the interests of the child. A wide range of resources – from toy shopping tips to recall information and recommendations for safe and supervised play – are available on the Toy Association website, www.PlaySafe.org.

This statement was originally published in November 2014 by The Toy Association.