PIRG’s Tips For Holiday Toy Buying: What You Really Need to Know

Now that we have finally finished off that last bit of Thanksgiving turkey, we here at Abnormal Use find it safe to turn our attention to the holiday season. Aside from the incessant holiday music blaring in every retail shop, there is much to enjoy about the holidays – gifts being right near the top. For those that have been blessed with children, gift buying takes on greater significance. As parents ourselves, this report from the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) outlining those toys from 2013 the group deems “dangerous” caught our eye.

There are a few things of note on the list, which includes such items as a play food set and a toy dolphin. First, if these toys are the most “dangerous” ones out there, toy safety has come a long way since we were children. It seems like just a few short years ago, kids were wishing for lawn darts and Slip ‘N Slides. The protagonist in “A Christmas Story,” released way, way back in 1983, receives his very own Red Rider BB gun. A firearm! Yet today, we deem a princess wand “dangerous.” The shift in attitude doesn’t necessarily mean that the latter is not, in fact, dangerous. Nor does our commenting on the change mean a princess wand isn’t hazardous. But we must say that perception and cultural shifts are interesting.

Second, most, if not all, of the items, are included because PIRG determined that they constitute choke hazards. Certainly, any small item can be a choke hazard if ingested. We question, however, whether placing the items on a “dangerous” toy list is necessary. It is no revelation that a bead kit containing small parts is capable of choking a person. So, really, what is the point of placing such an item on the list other than to give its manufacturer a scarlet letter? The size of these items is not a latent hazard, so we shouldn’t need this type of list in the first place.

If PIRG is only concerned with choke hazards, parents should not need the organization to tell them what toys are “dangerous.” Common sense should prevail. As you do your holiday shopping, police yourself. If you, like us, have young children who put everything in their mouths, don’t buy small toys with small parts. PIRG could have saved a lot of time and money by issuing the same statement.

Comments are closed.