175,000 Curious George Dolls Recalled
About 175,000 Curious George Plush Dolls were recalled Thursday, becoming the latest popular toy made in China found to be contaminated with dangerous levels of lead.
Manufactured by Marvel Toys, of New York, N.Y., the Curious George dolls contain excessive levels of lead in their surface paint, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Although no reports of illnesses connected to this product have been reported, lead is toxic if ingested by young children. Children's products found to have more than 0.06 percent lead accessible to users are subject to a recall.
The recalled dolls have a plastic face and are sold in five different models, including "birthday," "fireman," "sweet dreams," "tool time" and "tool time with a soft face." They were sold with Curious George story or activity books at toy and discount department stores nationwide from December 2005 through August 2007.
Consumers can contact Marvel Toys at 800-352-2064 or visit www.regcen.com/curiousgeorge for more information and to receive a full refund.
About 51,000 Children's Fashion Sunglasses, imported and distributed by Dolgencorp Inc. of Goodlettsville, Tenn., were also recalled Thursday because of dangerous levels of lead. No injuries have been reported.
The recalled sunglasses, made in China, are yellow-colored with the UPC No. 400007860896. They were sold at Dollar General stores nationwide from March 2005 through October 2007. Consumers can return the sunglasses to any Dollar General store for a full refund. For more information, call 800-678-9258 or visit www.dollargeneral.com.
There have been so many toy recalls recently, it's hard for concerned parents to keep up, reports CBS News correspondent Susan Koeppen.
"You definitely have to be careful, so I'm sticking with names that have been around for a long time," said parent Janet Larson.
According to the CPSC, in October alone, more than two dozen toys and products for children were recalled due to toxic lead levels. And on wednesday, six more toys were pulled, five due to high lead paint level.
One red flag for parents should if the toys have lots of red and yellow paint - but that doesn't mean that toys with only other paint colors are lead-free, reports Koeppen.
The recalls have shaken the confidence of parents so badly that a new Consumer Reports poll found that 30 percent say they won't buy any toys for their children this holiday season.
"I am definitely going to look pretty carefully at the list that my kids draw up for Santa and think it through pretty hard. I might go the puppy route," said D.J. Nordquist.
Government regulators say that parents should be concerned, but not panicked.
"Just because a toy is in violation does not mean a child will get sick," said Julie Vallese of the CPSC.
Parents should also be concerned about small parts on toys that can pose a choking hazard for kids, says Koeppen. A Fisher-Price kitchen was recalled this week because of small parts that were breaking off.
Expect more recalls as the holiday season progresses.