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August 28, 2008 3:00:45 AM CDT

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Stories related to: toys

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  • August 2008

    • Bratz Dolls Must Pay Barbie $100M in Copyright Suit

      Associated Press  |  Aug 26, 08 6:39 PM CDT

      Bratz Dolls Must Pay Barbie $100M in Copyright Suit

      (Newser) - Barbie will get $100 million from her saucier cousins, the Bratz dolls, for copyright infringement, the AP reports. A federal jury ordered Bratz maker MGA to pay Mattel the sum, but it did not award punitive damages and gave Mattel only a fraction of what it sought. Last month, the jury sided with Mattel in deciding that the Bratz designer concocted the idea while working at the larger company. More »

      Tags

      lawsuit  • toys  • Mattel  • copyright infringement  • Barbie  • MGA Entertainment  • Bratz

    • Terrible Toy Makeovers

      Babble  |  Aug 23, 08 11:35 AM CDT

      Terrible Toy Makeovers

      (Newser) - Toy companies keep reinventing our favorite childhood playthings, but the new versions almost never stack up. Babble lists 20 classic toys that didn't need facelifts: Monopoly: Give us our thimble back! The game that taught us to handle money has become an ad for SpongeBob , American Idol and the like. Etch-A-Sketch: Forget boxy black drawings. Now kids sketch in color or "call up the Dora fun screen for a little relief from the stultifying world of creativity." More »

      Tags

      list  • marketing  • toys  • games  • Monopoly

  • July 2008

    • Congress Moves to Ban Toxin Found in Toys

      Washington Post  |  Jul 29, 08 1:11 PM CDT

      Congress Moves to Ban Toxin Found in Toys

      (Newser) - Congressional negotiators have agreed to ban a group of toxins common in children’s toys, part of a consumer-protection bill, the Washington Post reports. The ban mirrors tougher standards at big retailers like Wal-Mart and Toys R Us, and, like those bans, wouldn’t take effect until after the holiday season. President Bush opposes the measure, but hasn’t yet promised to veto it. More »

      Tags

      Congress  • toys  • plastic  • toxic chemicals  • Exxon Mobil  • phthalates  • toy safety

    • Crikey! Bindi Gets Her Own Doll

      Cleveland Plain Dealer  |  Jul 5, 08 10:27 PM CDT

      Crikey! Bindi Gets Her Own Doll

      (Newser) - Bindi Irwin isn't yet 10, but she's got her own TV show, an Emmy, and now, a doll in her image. An Ohio company is making 10-inch replicas of the young Australian star, the daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Bindi inherited her dad's love of nature, and the doll says things like, "Crikey! Let's go help wildlife." More »

      Tags

      marketing  • conservation  • toys  • Steve Irwin  • Bindi Irwin

  • June 2008

    • Abigail Breslin: Little Miss a Serious Actress

      Vanity Fair  |  Jun 17, 08 11:37 AM CDT

      Abigail Breslin: Little Miss a Serious Actress

      (Newser) - Pint-sized Abigail Breslin swears that her Oscar nod and whirlwind career have barely changed her life, Vanity Fair reports. She will admit that her best supporting actress nomination for Little Miss Sunshine “was really exciting," but so are the 12-year-old's veterinary dreams. “I got to ride a sea lion, and I got to play with pelicans and lizards" in her latest film, she said. "It was awesome." More »

      Tags

      celebrity  • children  • actor  • movies  • Academy Awards  • toys  • movie premiere  • Abigail Breslin

  • May 2008

    • Fisher-Price Courts Far-Flung Fans

      Wall Street Journal  |  May 29, 08 2:30 PM CDT

      Fisher-Price Courts Far-Flung Fans

      (Newser) - Fisher-Price has tackled some unexpected challenges lately, from perfecting a recording of the phrase “It’s learning time!” in Mandarin to removing pig illustrations from Turkish kids’ books. In the past 5 years, Fisher-Price’s sales abroad have more than doubled while sales drop domestically—as traditional toys are replaced with high-tech gadgets—and the firm is re-prioritizing to serve its new audience, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

      Tags

      China  • Brazil  • Poland  • toys  • emerging markets  • toddler

    • Wal-Mart Tightens Toy Safety Standards

      Wall Street Journal  |  May 14, 08 1:49 PM CDT

      Wal-Mart Tightens Toy Safety Standards

      (Newser) - Wal-Mart is adopting stricter toy safety standards, going above and beyond existing government requirements, the Wall Street Journal reports. The standards set hard lead limits, and encourage “traceability information,” to show where toys are from. Complying could boost toymakers’ costs by 5%-7%, but since Wal-Mart is the world’s top toy seller, expect companies to fall in line. More »

      Tags

      Wal-Mart  • toys  • toy recalls  • lead tainted toys  • Chinese toys  • toy safety

  • April 2008

    • Iranian Lawman Blasts Barbie

      BBC  |  Apr 29, 08 7:42 AM CDT

      Iranian Lawman Blasts Barbie

      (Newser) - Barbie, Batman, and Harry Potter have no place in the Islamic Republic of Iran, says the nation's top prosecutor. He warned of the "social danger" that toys and other Western cultural imports pose to his country and has called for a ban, the BBC reports. Barbie is a big seller in Iran, and the country's little girls haven't been as keen on the more modestly dressed, Iranian-made alternative. More »

      Tags

      Iran  • toys  • Barbie  • cleric  • Islamic dress code

  • January 2008

    • Still Clicking, Lego Turns 50

      AFP  |  Jan 29, 08 8:57 AM CST

      Still Clicking, Lego Turns 50

      (Newser) - When a Dane filed a patent for interlocking toy bricks 50 years ago yesterday, it began a revolution that has produced enough Legos to stretch to the moon 10 times over, writes Time . The toy, named Forbes' "Toy of the Century" in 1999, survived stiff competition from higher-tech playthings and video games in recent years. More »

      Tags

      toys  • patent  • Lego

    • Father of the Hula Hoop, Frisbee Dies

      Los Angeles Times  |  Jan 17, 08 4:23 PM CST

      Father of the Hula Hoop, Frisbee Dies

      (Newser) - Richard Knerr, co-founder of the company that launched the Hula Hoop, Frisbee, and Silly String, died of a stroke Monday at 82. Knerr went from selling slingshots out of his parents' garage with lifelong pal and business partner Arthur Melin to creating the hugely profitable Wham-O toy company. The story is "pure Americana," one Frisbee fan told the Los Angeles Times . More »

      Tags

      obituary  • toys

  • November 2007

    • Screw G.I. Joe and Barbie, Gimme an iPod

      New York Times  |  Nov 29, 07 10:43 AM CST

      Screw G.I. Joe and Barbie, Gimme an iPod

      (Newser) - Toddlers are getting their geek on, thanks to the rash of technological toys flying off the shelves this Christmas. The long-stagnant toy industry has found a growing market in kiddie versions of grown-up gadgets like laptops and digital cameras, the Times reports. “Toy companies don’t even call it the toy business anymore,” said an industry journalist. “They’re in the family entertainment business.” More »

      Tags

      children  • gadget  • consumer electronics  • holiday shopping  • toys

    • Ten Christmas Wishes From Wired

      Wired  |  Nov 23, 07 12:34 PM CST

      Ten Christmas Wishes From Wired

      (Newser) - Wired editors have picked out their gadget wish list for the holidays this year, and while the list includes some high-tech toys like TVs and palmtops, it starts out with a standby: a slinky. Slinky (everyone knows it's slinky) Nokia N810 (open source palmtop) Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean (invincible wristwatch) Canon Powershot G9 (small but nifty camera) Legos Imperial Walker (you know you want one) More »

      Tags

      list  • video game  • gadget  • toys  • HDTV  • digital camera  • Lego  • Christmas wish lists  • utility tools  • TV remote control

    • US Stores Riddled With Unsafe Toys

      McClatchy Newspapers  |  Nov 21, 07 3:22 AM CST

      US Stores Riddled With Unsafe Toys

      (Newser) - Despite massive recalls, hazardous toys still crowd US shelves, warn consumer watchdog organizations. Dozens of toys pose choking hazards, contain toxic chemicals, or use dangerously strong magnets, according to an annual toy survey by the US Public Interest Research Group released yesterday. Nine of 100 toys tested by the Center for Environmental Health had unsafe levels of lead. All were made in China. More »

      Tags

      China  • toys  • lead tainted toys  • Consumer Product Safety Commission  • watchdog  • choking  • magnets

    • 10 Things a Kid Had to Have

      CNN  |  Nov 18, 07 4:50 AM CST

      10 Things a Kid Had to Have

      (Newser) - Demanding kids have been sending crazed parents on a quest for the must-have toy for decades, says CNN. A list of past faves that made shoppers go wild: Mr. Potato Head, 1952 Easy-Bake Oven, 1964 G.I. Joe with kung fu grip, 1974 More »

      Tags

      list  • children  • toys  • Star Wars  • gifts

  • September 2007

    • Prices in Toyland Are Going Up

      Associated Press  |  Sep 14, 07 7:04 AM CDT

      Prices in Toyland Are Going Up

      (Newser) - Toyland is about to become a more expensive place, as price hikes of 10% or more kick in to pay for heightened vigilance by toy makers following the recall of millions of lead-tainted and otherwise unsafe playthings imported from China. The added costs, which  won't kick in until after Christmas, will pay for independent lab testing which American manufacturers and retailers are scrambling to put in place. More »

      Tags

      China  • Wal-Mart  • Disney  • toys  • recall  • Mattel  • lead  • Barbie  • price  • Toys 'R' Us

    • Toymakers Play Games With Regulations

      Slate  |  Sep 12, 07 12:01 PM CDT

      Toymakers Play Games With Regulations

      (Newser) - The toy industry’s new safety-testing push may succeed in rebuilding trust, but it’s likely to leave dangerous ways unchecked—and the big guys know it, argues Slate’s E. Marla Felcher. The current scandals are matters of enforcement, not of the regulations themselves, but the new call for third-party testing looks, superficially, like a step forward. More »

      Tags

      Christmas  • toys  • recall  • Mattel  • toy recalls  • product safety  • lead

    • China Agrees to End Lead Toy Imports

      CNN  |  Sep 11, 07 2:10 PM CDT

      China Agrees to End Lead Toy Imports

      (Newser) - After three recalls by Mattel and growing nail-biting among parents, Chinese officials have signed an agreement with Washington to stop using lead paint in imported toys, CNNMoney reports. Although the US outlawed sales of lead-painted toys in 1978, Chinese-made products containing the hazardous metal continue to seep into the market. Today's announcement signaled China's desire to preserve its market presence in America. More »

      Tags

      China  • toys  • recall  • Mattel  • toy recalls  • lead

  • August 2007

    • SpongeBob? Not You, Too!

      Reuters  |  Aug 23, 07 9:43 AM CDT

      SpongeBob? Not You, Too!

      (Newser) - Some 300,000 more toys and other children's items made in China have been recalled due to safety concerns about lead. That includes 250,000 SpongeBob journals and address books with lead paint on the metal bindings. The journals, imported by privately held Martin Designs Inc., were sold in US stores from June 2006 to July 2007—for about $2. More »

      Tags

      toys  • recall  • Chinese toys  • lead  • consumer safety  • SpongeBob

    • Mattel Recalls 18M More Toys Made in China

      Wall Street Journal  |  Aug 14, 07 10:45 AM CDT

      Mattel Recalls 18M More Toys Made in China

      (Newser) - Mattel today announced a second, much bigger recall of Chinese-made toys that may be hazardous: 18 million of them worldwide, and 9 million in the US. The recalled items  include play sets containing magnets that can be dangerous when swallowed and die-cast cars that contain lead paint. The play sets include Polly Pocket dolls and Batman action figures, the Wall Street Journal reports. The cars include Sarge military jeeps. More »

      Tags

      China  • safety  • toys  • recall  • Mattel  • tainted  • toxic

    • Chinese Toy Exec Commits Suicide After Recall

      Washington Post  |  Aug 13, 07 7:59 AM CDT

      Chinese Toy Exec Commits Suicide After Recall

      (Newser) - The head of a Chinese company that made a million of the lead-tainted toys recalled by Mattel last month hanged himself in his warehouse this weekend. Zhang Shuhong's  suicide followed the announcement Thursday that China banned exports from his company because of the defects. Colleagues reported that Zhang had been sold the tainted paint by his best friend. More »

      Tags

      China  • suicide  • exports  • toys  • recall  • Mattel  • Chinese toys  • tainted  • Fisher Price

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