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Toys `R' Us bows to public opinion over baby debacle

After coming under fire for denying a Chinese-American infant a US$25,000 prize in a New Year's baby contest because her mother was not a legal US resident, the Toys "R" Us Co said that it had reversed its decision.

The company said on Saturday evening that it would award each of the three babies in the grand prize pool of the "First Baby of the Year Sweepstakes" a US$25,000 savings bond. Toys "R" Us is the parent company of Babies "R" Us, which sponsored the contest.

Toys "R" Us, which opened its first store in China less than a month ago, changed its mind after Chinese-American advocates protested and the story was reported in ethnic newspapers and the New York Times among other media outlets.

"We love all babies," the company said in a written statement on Saturday. "Our sweepstakes was intended to welcome the first baby of 2007 and prepare for its future. We deeply regret that this sweepstakes became a point of controversy."

The prize was originally supposed to go to Yuki Lin, who was born at the stroke of midnight at New York Downtown Hospital, hospital officials said.

She won a random drawing with two other babies for the US$25,000 savings bond, Toys "R" Us spokeswoman Kathleen Waugh said.

The Wayne, New Jersey company had said it would go to the first American baby born this year.

Yuki was born a US citizen. But the company disqualified her because "the sweepstakes administrator was informed that the mother of the baby born at New York Downtown Hospital was not a legal resident of the United States," Waugh said.

Although promotional materials called for "all expectant New Year's mothers" to apply, Waugh said eligibility rules required babies' mothers to be legal residents.

Many sweepstakes have such requirements, Waugh added.

Attempts to reach Yuki's parents, Liu Yanzhu and Lin Han, 22, were unsuccessful on Saturday. Their immigration status was not clear.

The original prize was instead awarded to runner-up Jayden Swain, born 19 seconds after midnight at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, Georgia.

Chinese-American advocates had complained that the toy company's decision smacks of second-class citizenship.
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