Fisher-Price Recalls 1.5 Million Toys

First the Easy Bake oven, now Elmo. If you bought an Elmo or Dora the Explorer toy between May and now, it may be on a recall list from Fisher-Price because it was made with paint containing lead.

Elmo and Dora are just the start. The toymaker has recalled 1.5 million toys manufactured in China—yep, China—between April 2007 and July 2007 and sold in retail stores between May and August 2007 for between $5 and $40. Nearly 1 million (967,000) of the toys are in the United States, and if you think you've got one, check the full recall list on this Consumer Products Safety Commission page. The Elmo and Big Bird light-up musical pals (pictured), and Dora and Diego backpacks are among the more than 80 figures and toys listed.

Mattel's senior VP of worldwide quality assurance, Jim Walter, told Reuters the tainted paint can be traced to one manufacturer, which the toymaker has worked with before. "The disappointment here was we had a single contract manufacturer that we had a long-standing relationships with, who did not do what is required by Mattel," Walter said.

It's a sizable recall for a big company and it will not do much to restore faith in Chinese manufacturers. The United States has intensified inspections of exports from China after a chemical additive in pet food caused the death of some pets, and toxic chemicals were found in fish and toothpaste exports. Toy trains made in China were also recalled in the United States because some may have been covered in lead paint.

If you think a Fisher-Price toy you recently bought is on the list, you need to contact Fisher-Price to send it back and receive a voucher for a safe replacement toy of equal value. You can either call the company's recall line at 800-916-4498 or go to this recall page on Mattel's web site.

Check those toys!

LINKS:

Fisher-Price recalling 1.5 million toys [Reuters]
Fisher-Price Recalls Licensed Character Toys Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard [Consumer Products Safety Commission]