Sen. Ossoff is requesting answers about the safety of Thomas & Friends toys for children following a recent recall.
On October 19, Fisher Price recalled their “Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Troublesome Trucks,” due to potential choking and magnet ingestion hazards.
Today, Sen. Ossoff is pressing Mattel CEO, Ynon Kreiz, for answers about the safety of their products, and what they are doing to ensure the safety of other products currently being sold. The inquiry is also demanding answers on the impact the safety issues had on Georgia’s children and what will be done to prevent the dangerous oversights like this from happening again.
“The CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) found that the plastic piece holding the magnet on this product can detach, which can potentially result in a child choking or ingesting the magnet,” Sen. Ossoff wrote to Mattel. “Although I applaud your efforts to alert your consumers of the potential safety risk, I urge you to take these concerns seriously as you continue to manufacture children’s products.”
Sen. Ossoff requested Mattel answer the following questions in writing:
- Considering your recent recall, how will you ensure that your future products are safe for children?
- Do any other products produced by your company rely on the same magnet system as the recalled Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Troublesome Truck?
- How many units of this product were sold in Georgia retail stores?
- What is your company’s current product review process? What steps can you take to strengthen your review process to prevent such hazards in the future?
Sen. Ossoff said he will continue to “advocate for the safety and well-being of children across Georgia.”
Oher similar demands made by Ossoff include:
- his demand of answers about baby bib and blanket safety following recalls due to potential choking hazards with the detachable care instruction label.
- his demand of answers from Green Sprouts about the safety of their child drinking cups after they recalled them due to lead contamination risks.
- his pressing of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to improve efficiency and coordination in processing product recalls in order to protect families from dangerous products in 2022.
Click here to read Sen. Ossoff’s inquiry.
