Millions of toys recalled over safety fears

Toy giant Mattel has recalled more than 8 million of its products because of health and safety fears.

The largest toy company in the US has now recalled more than 18 million products worldwide due to hazards from small, powerful magnets and lead paint.

The toys include about 7.3 million Polly Pocket, Batman Magna, Doggie Daycare and Shonen Jump's One Piece play sets with the small magnets.

According to a statement from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Mattel about 2.4 million of the play sets were recalled on November 21.

Around 683,000 Barbie doll Tanner play sets were also recalled due to a magnet hazard and about 253,000 Pixar Sarge die-cast toy cars with lead paint were recalled.

Mattel had earlier launched a national advertising campaign to assure consumers it was on top of safety in response to rumours that it was about to recall products.

The full-page ad, included a letter from Mattel Chief Executive Bob Eckert in which he told parents "nothing is more important than the safety of our children".

"I am confident that the actions we are taking now will maintain that trust," he wrote.

Earlier this month, Mattel's Fisher-Price unit recalled about 1.5 million pre-school toys made by China-based contract manufacturer Lida Toy Co.

The global recall included products based on popular pre-school characters from "Sesame Street" and "Dora the Explorer".

The company said it expected to take a £15 million hit as a result of that action.

News of the second recall comes as an owner of the Chinese toy factory at the centre of the first recall reportedly committed suicide, days after Mattel identified his company as the manufacturer.

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