Cute plastic animals with tiny accessories that pose a choking hazard, Black Panther-inspired claws with the potential to cause facial or eye injuries, and green slime that could be harmful if swallowed: These are just some of the items on an annual list of potentially dangerous toys released by a US-based consumer advocacy group on Monday.
“Although intended for fun and entertainment, many toys contain hidden hazards unnecessarily putting children at risk of injury or death,” Boston-based World Against Toys Causing Harm Inc said in a statement announcing its “10 Worst Toys of 2020.”
With parents looking for ways to keep children occupied during the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the Christmas shopping season approaching, toy safety awareness is critical, the group said.
“Shockingly, classic toy dangers, such as small parts, strings, projectiles, toxic substances, rigid materials, and inaccurate warnings and labels, continue to reappear in new generations of toys putting children at risk,” the group said.
There are an estimated 240,000 toy-related injuries to children each year in the US and a child is taken to an emergency room every three minutes for a toy-related injury, the group added.
The Toy Association, which represents US toy manufacturers, called the list needlessly alarmist.
“By law, all toys sold in the United States must meet 100+ rigorous safety tests and standards,” the association said in a statement. “Their allegations appear to be based on their misrepresentation of the mandatory toy standards — and of the priority the toy industry puts on safe and fun play.”
The Toy Association said that people should always choose age-appropriate toys, encourage safe play, and make sure they purchase toys from reputable manufacturers and sellers.
The “10 Worst Toys of 2020” list and their potential dangers from World Against Toys Causing Harm Inc:
1. Calico Critters Nursery Friends: potential choking hazards.
2. Missile Launcher: potential for eye and facial injuries.
3. Marvel Avengers Vibranium Power FX Claw: potential for eye and facial injuries.
4. Gloria Owl: potential for ingestion.
5. WWE Jumbo Superstar Fists: potential for blunt force and impact injuries.
6. Sci-Fi Slime: potential for chemical-related injuries.
7. Boomerang Interactive Stunt UFO: potential for propeller-related injury.
8. Boom City Racers: potential for eye and facial injuries.
9. My Sweet Love Lots of Love Babies Minis: potential choking hazard.
10. Star Wars Mandalorian Darksaber: potential for blunt force and eye injuries.
On the Chinese microblogging platform Sina Weibo, enthusiastic slackers share their tips: Fill up a thermos with whiskey, do planks or stretches in the work pantry at regular intervals, drink liters of water to prompt lots of trips to the toilet on work time, and, once there, spend time on social media or playing games on your phone. “Not working hard is everyone’s basic right,” one commenter wrote. “With or without legal protection, everyone has the right to not work hard.” Young Chinese people are pushing back against an engrained culture of overwork, and embracing a philosophy of laziness known as “touching
‘STUNNED’: With help from an official at the US Department of Justice, Donald Trump reportedly planned to oust the acting attorney general in a bid to overturn the election Former US president Donald Trump was at his Florida resort on Saturday, beginning post-presidency life while US President Joe Biden settled into the White House, but in Washington and beyond, the chaos of the 45th president’s final days in office continued to throw out damaging aftershocks. In yet another earth-shaking report, the New York Times said that Trump plotted with an official at the US Department of Justice to fire the acting attorney general, then force Georgia Republicans to overturn his defeat in that state. Meanwhile, former acting US secretary of defense Christopher Miller made an extraordinary admission, telling Vanity Fair that
Boeing set a target of designing and certifying its jetliners to fly on 100 percent sustainable fuels by 2030, amid rising pressure on planemakers to take climate change seriously. Regulators allow a 50-50 blend of sustainable and conventional fuels, and Boeing on Friday said it would work with authorities to raise the limit. Rival Airbus is considering another tack: a futuristic lineup of hydrogen-powered aircraft that would reach the skies by 2035. The aircraft manufacturers face growing public clamor to cut emissions in the aviation industry, which added more than 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere in 2019, according to
Mongolian Prime Minister Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh on Thursday resigned following a protest over a hospital’s treatment of a new mother who tested positive for COVID-19. Khurelsukh, whose Mongolian People’s Party holds a strong majority in the parliament known as the State Great Khural, stepped down after accusing Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga of the Democratic Party of orchestrating a political crisis. A small protest broke out in the capital, Ulan Bator, on Wednesday after TV footage appeared of a woman who had just given birth being escorted in slippers and a thin robe from the maternity ward to a special wing for COVID-19 patients
RSS