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Talkin Hot Toys & Recalls with the World RenownedĶDr. Toy Your Viewers Can Also Talk to a Safety Expert from One of the Nations Top Toy Retailers about a NEW International Program to Protect Children ***Wal-Mart Launches Toy Safety Net Program*** The holidays are fast-approaching and parents need reassurance when it comes to buying quality toys for their children. Toy recalls are in the news, and we’ve got the answers your viewers are looking for from two of the top toy experts in the world. Dr. Steveanne Hourback has a PhD and is lovingly called “Dr. Toy” by her fans. Dr. Toy has written 15 books and dozens of articles about play and toys for many National publications. She will be joined by Laura Philips, Wal-marts merchandising manager for toys, who can answer questions about what the nations top toy retailer is doing to insure the safety of all toys. Dr. Toy will also provide a sneak peak at some the toys she believes will be hot this season. Location: Atlanta, Ga. Dr. Steveanne Auerbach, Dr. Toy Toy Expert Courtesy: Walmart About Dr. Toy Stevanne Auerbach, PhD, Dr. Toy About Stevanne Auerbach, PhD, Dr. Toy Dr. Toy, Stevanne Auerbach, PhD, has been for many years one of the nation’s and worlds leading experts on play, toys, and children’s products. With 30 years of direct experience, Dr. Auerbach includes educationally oriented, developmental and skill building products from the best large and small companies in her four annual award programs. Many parents, teachers and toy buyers use Dr. Toys guidance in making selections. Dr. Toys Smart Play/Smart Toys: How to Raise a Child with a High PQ* (*Play Quotient) by Educational Insights ( http://www.educationalinsights.com www.educationalinsights.com ) (first edition, St. Martins Press) is now also available at Barnes and Noble < http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ISBN=0978554000http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ISBN=0978554000 > is a unique guide to play and child development. The book is also published internationally. Her book, Toys for a Lifetime (FAO Schwarz/Rizzoli) focuses on classic toys and toys for the future. Her book, The Toy Chest, a classic, covers the evaluation and history of children’s products. Dr. Toy has written 15 books and many dozens of articles about play and toys for national and regional magazines and newspapers, has been featured as an expert in articles by others, and has been a featured guest on radio and television programs throughout the country and outside of the USA. Dr. Toys Best Products Programs provide a unique, original, copyrighted review of childrens products. One program, Dr. Toys 100 Best Children’s Products, was featured in Early Childhood News (1992-93) Family Circle (1986) Parenting Magazine (1987) King Features Syndicate, and every year since 1994 on www.drtoy.com? http:>www.drtoy.com . Dr. Toy’s Guide on the Internet is visited by over 80,000 visitors a day. Dr. Toys four annual programs include: Best Classic Toys, Best Vacation Products, 100 Best Childrens Products, and Smart Play Products of Excellence. Illustration Loel Barr < http://www.drtoy.com/about_drtoy/website_credits.html”>http://www.drtoy.com/about_drtoy/website_credits.html > Dr. Auerbach in 1986 founded and served as director of the San Francisco International Toy Museum, the worlds first interactive toy museum. More than 50,000 children visited the museum between1986 and1990, when the Loma Prieta earthquake forced it to shut its doors. New toys and products, as well as historical collectibles, were a mainstay of this unique “hands on” museum. Dr. Auerbach, an established speaker, consultant, and author, is trained in child psychology, education, special education, and child development. Dr. Auerbach has a well-earned title, “Dr. Toy”, dating to her first assignment with “Creative Playthings” (1968) where she developed its first education marketing program. She approved the first grant for the Children’s Television Workshop, “Sesame Street,” when she worked for the Commissioner of Education, where she reviewed reading programs throughout the country. She established the first child care center for the children of federal employees, which has served for the last 30 years as the model for the entire federal government. She planned and developed a national $2.5 million R&D Program in child care for the Office of Economic Opportunity, Office of the President. Before working for the federal government, Dr. Auerbach was a teacher and reading specialist in New York, Maryland, and Washington, DC. She was associated with Arena Stage Living Stage program bringing theatre skills to the classroom. Dr. Auerbach has been a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the largest professional organization in early childhood education for more than 25 years, and is a regular speaker at its annual conference and other professional and parent organizations. She is a member of ASTRA, ACA, IPA, ITRA, OMEP, TASP, TIA, and WIT. For Immediate Release Top Holiday Toys Picks BENTONVILLE, Ark., Oct. 1, 2007 With its annual list of the “Top 12 Toys of Christmas,” Wal-Mart announced today an added incentive for early holiday shopping numerous, deep rollbacks on what the retailer considers to be the items on wish lists this year. Starting this week, Wal-Mart will announce rollbacks each week in this aggressive move to lead the market on holiday savings. “Fulfilling her childs wish list is always first in Moms mind, and right now shes scouting the aisles to see whats interesting, and whats affordable,” said Chief Toy Officer Laura Phillips, Wal-Mart. “So were starting early and aggressively with unbeatable prices on the items we know are on those lists.” This week, customers will begin to see price reductions from 10 to 50 percent on select toys. Select rollbacks to start include*: New Savings Now: Ģ Tonka Trucks (choice in assortment) was $27.44, now $19.76 Ģ Kid Tough Digital Camera (Fisher Price) was $64.88, now $54.88 Ģ Spider-Man Ride-on – was $64.64, now $59.64 Ģ Barbie Island Princess Styling Head – was $39.83, now $36.94 More Savings This Week: Ģ Littlest Pet Shop Digital Pets was $12.84, now $9.97 Ģ Razor Ripstik – was $93.93, now $77.77 Ģ Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader game – was $18.96, now $12.88 Ģ Fur Real Squawkers Parrot – was $69.96, now $54.88 Ģ NASCAR Ride-on was $199.97, now $177.72 “These items and our top 12 have our vote for the most interest, because we believe they meet all the right trends in activity, brand, play interaction, and technology which both parents and kids are after today,” said Phillips. “Its now our turn to bring out their value, adding a great price to the hottest trends.” Top 12 Toys of Christmas Ģ Kid Tough Digital Camera from Fisher Price (Ages 3 & up) A real digital camera thats tough enoughand easy enoughfor kids to use. Ģ Smart Cycle from Fisher Price (Ages 3-6) Its a stationary bike, a learning center, and an arcade game systemall rolled into one! Ģ Air Hogs Havoc Heli by Spinmaster (Ages 8 & up) An amazingly small, infrared, remote control helicopter, the Air Hogs Havoc features a durable, EPP foam body and a flashing Blue LED for night flying. Ģ Spider-Man 3 Movie Action Figure from Hasbro (Ages 3-7) Both in his classic red and blue gear and now new black costume, Spider-Man will continue to be a hero that saves the day, specially with his new web accessories. Ģ Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Doll from Mattel (Ages 18 months & up) Girls will love playing mommy with this sweet baby dollshes perfect for your childs first doll. Ģ New Elmo from Fisher Price (Ages 18 months & up) Hes back on the list to tickle your funny bone. Find out why and whats new in November! Ģ Littlest Pet Shop Paws Off Electronic Diary from Hasbro (Ages 6 & up) Keep all your written secrets locked inside this voice-activated, electronic diary! Ģ Razor Ripstik Caster Board (Ages
6 & up) A cross between a skateboard and a snowboard, this high-action new sport is taking the streets by storm! Ģ Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader game from Hasbro (Ages 8 & up) Based on the popular game show, this enjoyable diversion features Jeff Foxworthy and five students putting ordinary adults to the test by having them answer real questions from the 5th-grade curriculum. Ģ Aqua Dots Super Studio from Spin Master (Ages 6 & up) Aqua Dots combine creativity and crafting to create multiple designs just add water! Ģ Power Tour Electric Guitar by Hasbro (Ages 10 & up) Be the rock star and learn to play six different rock classics. Connect to your MP3 player and strum along, or rock out solo and compose your own anthem. FurReal Squawkers Parrot from Hasbro (Ages 5-7) Talk about cool! Squawkers McCaw is a talkin’, squawkin’ and totally unpredictable play pal. “You really cant go wrong with any of these toys,” said Phillips. “We have re-arranged our selection in the aisles to make shopping a little easier, with identification on popular brands and top toys. As a constant Mom wants price, convenience and safety, and with our Toy Safety Net program underway, we feel confident delivering on all three this upcoming holiday season.” *Price in some markets may be lower than listed in this release. Associated Press Mattel Recalls 800,000 Toys Worldwide Wednesday September 5, 10:52 am ET By Anne D’Innocenzio, AP Business Writer Mattel Recalls 800,000 Toys Worldwide Because of Lead Paint New York (AP) — The third major recall by Mattel Inc. of lead-tainted Chinese toys has left the world’s largest toymaker fighting to maintain its reputation with the crucial holiday season fast approaching. Mattel announced late Tuesday it was recalling 800,000 toys, including 675,000 accessories for one of the company’s biggest sellers, the Barbie doll. Also part of the recall, the third in just over a month, were 90,000 units of Mattel’s GeoTrax locomotive line and about 8,900 Big Big World 6-in-1 Bongo Band toys, both from the company’s Fisher-Price brand. The Big Big World products were sold nationwide from July through August of this year, while the GeoTrax toys were sold from September 2006 through August of this year. Mattel shares dropped more than 3 percent, or 68 cents, to $21.29 at the open of trading Wednesday. Mattel’s last recall, announced on Aug. 14, covered about 19 million toys worldwide. They included Chinese-made toys that either had excessive amounts of lead paint or had small magnets that could easily be swallowed by children. On Aug. 1, Mattel’s Fisher-Price division said it was recalling 1.5 million preschool toys featuring characters such as Dora the Explorer, Big Bird and Elmo because of lead paint. That action included 967,000 toys sold in the United States between May and August. Robert Eckert, chairman and chief executive of El Segundo, Calif.-based Mattel, warned at a press conference last month that there may be more recalls as the company stepped up investigations into Chinese factories and intensified production checks. In a statement issued late Tuesday, Eckert said: “As a result of our ongoing investigation, we discovered additional affected products. Consequently, several subcontractors are no longer manufacturing Mattel toys. We apologize again to everyone affected and promise that we will continue to focus on ensuring the safety and quality of our toys.” Mattel added that it has completed its testing program for the majority of its toys and spent more than 50,000 hours investigating vendors and testing toys over the past four-week period. Mattel, which has cultivated an image of tightly controlled production in China, may have trouble convincing consumers that its products are safe this holiday season. The Consumer Product Safety Commission may investigate how quickly Mattel notified authorities of problems before the Aug. 14 recall With more than 80 percent of toys sold worldwide made in China, the problems go well beyond Mattel’s image. In June, toy maker RC2 Corp. voluntarily recalled 1.5 million wooden railroad toys and set parts from its Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line. The company said the surface paint on certain toys and parts made in China between January 2005 and April 2006 contained lead, affecting 23 retailers. In July, Hasbro Inc. recalled Chinese-made Easy Bake ovens on reports of second- and third-degree burns to children. It was the second time the iconic toy has been recalled this year. A Chinese quality official said Wednesday that the country is investigating the latest recall. Wang Xin, an official with the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine, said the agency, which oversees all products made in China, is trying to get details on when the toys were made and the manufacturers involved. Mattel vowed as recently as last month it would tighten its controls in China. About 65 percent of the company’s toys are made in there, and about 50 percent of Mattel’s production is in China at company-owned plants. The recalled toys in the Barbie accessory line included a Barbie Dream Puppy House, which had lead paint on the dog; a Barbie Dream Kitty Condo playset, which had lead paint on the cat; and a Barbie table and chairs kitchen playset, which had lead paint on the dog and dinner plates. Mattel said in a statement that the Barbie products affected by the recall were produced by Holder Plastic Company, a Mattel contract vendor, which subcontracted the painting of miniature toy pets and small furniture pieces to Dong Lian Fa and Yip Sing. The two GeoTrax toys were made by Apex Manufacturing Company Ltd., one of Mattel’s contract vendors, which outsourced paint work to a subcontractor, Boyi Plastic Products Factory. Apex supplied Boyi with certified paint; however, the toys were made with uncertified paint. Boyi is no longer in business, Mattel said. The GeoTrax toys were manufactured between July 31, 2006, and September 4, 2006; however, the painted parts were stored and incorporated into toy production throughout the year. Mattel said it is recalling toys shipped between August 3, 2006, and July 31 of this year. Fisher-Price’s Big Big World toy was manufactured by Shun On Factory, one of Mattel’s contract vendors, which outsourced the molding and painting of one plastic piece. A subcontractor, Jingying Tampo Printing Processing Factory, used uncertified paint on the recalled piece. For information about Tuesday’s recalls, consumers should call Mattel at 888-496-8330 or visit the company’s Web site at http://www.service.mattel.com http://www.service.mattel.com . https://videos.whiteblox.com/gnb/secure/player.aspx?sid=35352