Hasbro Talks Tough on Safety

(NEWSER) - This year's hot toy is as chatty as Tickle Me Elmo but much, much more realistic. Little girls are crazy for new baby dolls that eat and excrete, but psychologists and some parents aren't thrilled with Hasbro's Baby Alive Learns to Potty and Mattel's Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Gotta Go Doll. "That is just so wrong," one shopper tells the Washington Post. More»

Popular Scrabble clone unable to withstand legal pressure

(NEWSER) - Facebook took down the wildly popular ‘Scrabulous’ this morning, PC Magazine reports, following a legal attack against the game's creators by the rights holders of Scrabble. The site finally folded to pressure after receiving a takedown notice from Hasbro, as well as Mattel, which owns international rights to the original Scrabble. More»

Companies debate legal action as 700K play online knock-off daily

(NEWSER) - Scrabble knock-off Scrabulous is a hit online, but sellers of the original board game have cried piracy and may take their claim to court, the New York Times reports. Tens of thousands of Scrabulous players have threatened to boycott Hasbro and Mattel if they shut down the Facebook-friendly game, which was invented by two brothers in Calcutta—and has given Scrabble an unexpected popularity surge. More»

State attorney general's action targets Mattel, other toy companies

(NEWSER) - California filed suit yesterday against Mattel, Toys R Us, and 18 other companies, accusing them of making or selling products that contain "unlawful quantities of lead," reports the LA Times. The suit, which follows major recalls of toys during the last year, aims to force manufacturers and retailers to inspect products and ensure they're lead-free, or warn consumers. More»

Toy company admits it bungled designs, recalled too many toys

(NEWSER) - The fallout from Mattel's recall of Chinese-made products took a bizarre turn today as the toy company apologized to Beijing and took the blame for design flaws in lead-tainted toys, AP reports. In a meeting with China's top product safety chief, a Mattel VP called the recalls "overly inclusive" and apologized for hurting "the reputation of Chinese manufacturers." More»