Parents and grandparents still wary of Chinese goods

It will interesting to crunch the sales numbers after the holiday season is over. Witness this:

"If it says China, I don't trust anything about it," said grandmother of six Theresa Stevens while shopping at L.T. Kids, a locally-owned speciality toy store. When her 2-year-old grandchild asked for a recalled Thomas the Train toy, Stevens said she went directly to an independent toy store to find a safe alternative.

"I'd rather spend more money or buy less toys if that's what it takes to be safe," Stevens said.

RC2 Corp. Recalls Additional Thomas & Friends™ Wooden Railway Toys

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, has announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Various Thomas and Friends™ Wooden Railway Toys

Units: About 200,000 (1.5 million other Thomas & Friends railway toys were recalled on June 13, 2007)

Importer/Distributor: RC2 Corp., of Oak Brook, Ill.

Hazard: Surface paints on the toys can contain excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The recall involves five toys from the Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway product line: the all-black cargo car, toad vehicle, olive green sodor cargo box and all-green maple tree top and signal base accessories. The front of the packaging has the logo “Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway” in the upper left-hand corner. A tracking code may be located on the bottom of some of the products. Toys marked with codes containing “WJ” and “AZ” are not included in the recall.

Recalled Product Name & Tracking Codes

All-Black Cargo Car – Included only in the Brendam Fishing Dock Set. The car is labeled “CARGO CAR” and has either no tracking code or one of the following codes on its undersides: 26833i 28233i 23243i00 24643i00 25343i00 27443i00 32043i00 34743i00 01553i00 04553i00 13353i00 14753i00 15453i00 18353i00 Cargo cars sold in other sets are not included.

Toad vehicle with brake lever – The vehicle is labeled “TOAD” and has the tracking code 16560W00 on its underside.

Olive Green Sodor Cargo Box – The side of the cargo box says “SODOR”, the box was included only in the Deluxe Cranky the Crane Set.

All-Green Maple Tree Top and Green Signal Base Accessories – Included only in Conductor’s Figure 8 Sets.

Sold at: Toy stores and various retailers nationwide from March 2003 through September 2007 for between $10 and $40.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should take the recalled toys away from young children immediately and contact RC2 Corp. for a replacement toy.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact RC2 toll-free at (866) 725-4407 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at http://recalls.rc2.com

Importer recalls Thomas and Friends, Curious George tops and pails

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, has announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Spinning Tops and Tin Pails

Units: About 66,000 spinning tops and about 4,700 pails

Importer: Schylling Associates Inc., of Rowley, Mass.

Hazard: Surface paints on the wooden handles of the tops and pails contain excessive levels of lead, which violates the federal lead paint standard. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.

Incidents/Injuries: None.

Description: The recalled tops and pails are primarily metal and have wooden handles. The tops are painted with Thomas and Friends, Curious George, or a circus scene. The pails are painted with Thomas and Friends, Curious George, or in a solid red or yellow color. Tops with plastic handles are not included in this recall.

Sold at: Specialty toy stores and gift shops nationwide from July 2001 through July 2002. The tops were sold for about $13. The pails were sold for about $6.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled toys away from children and contact Schylling to receive a refund or free replacement toy.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Schylling at (800) 767-8697 between 9 am and 5 pm ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.schylling.com