RECALL SHAKES UP TOY INDUSTRY VALLEY MAKERS REVISE SAFETY TESTS.

Byline: JULIA M. SCOTT

Staff Writer

In the wake of Mattel's recall of millions of toys, local companies are scrambling to revise tests used to ensure the playthings they make are safe.

The increased attention to safety comes after Mattel on Tuesday announced a second wave of recalls for "Sarge" toys from the Cars line because they contain lead paint and for Polly Pocket dolls containing dangerously small magnets. Two weeks ago, the toy giant announced recalls of certain Fisher-Price toys containing lead paint.

"This has been a wake-up call to the toy industry to redouble their efforts to be in compliance with testing standards," said Dave Schwartz of Sun-Mate Corp. in Canoga Park. The company makes keyboards, dollhouses and aircraft carriers.

After Mattel's recalls, Sun-Mate alerted its Hong Kong office to reiterate how crucial it is to follow safety procedures, Schwartz said.

At Funrise Toys in Van Nuys, CEO Arnie Rubin started mandatory testing of every batch of paint that comes through the factory. It makes Tonka Trucks and Gizallion Bubbles.

"This is so critical," Rubin said, that the new test will become part of Funrise's normal operating procedure.

Employees at Anatex in Van Nuys checked past test reports for all their toys, Vice President Mark Chesler said. "We found that everything is fine."

About 80 percent of the toys on U.S. shelves are made in China, where toys can be made more cheaply than in the United States.

The United States government does not regulate toys, aside from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which prohibits lead in toys but does not enforce the law.

Instead, manufacturers voluntarily test their products. Safety standards in the toy industry are set by the American Society for Testing and Materials, an organization that develops standards for various industries.

Many local toy companies require their own set of tests at independent labs, such as Bureau Veritas in Buffalo, N.Y. Mass retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target require a second set of tests done by labs of their choice.

In the labs, machines try to pull and bite off stopper tabs on inflatable toys. Paint is scrapped off trains and figurines and tested for lead and trace metals. Plastic toys are dropped to see if they will crack.

Toys have to be tweaked "all the time," said Rubin, the Funrise CEO.

Toymakers are acutely aware of how crucial their reputation for upholding safety standards is, said Carter Keithley, president of the Toy Industry Association, a trade organization.

That Mattel chose to recall its toys proves the voluntary safety system works, he said.

"We're all aware that our recall system is part and parcel of the safety system," Keithley said.

Many parents are worried about safety in the aftermath of Mattel's recalls. About a dozen people hauled their children's toys into KB Toy & Hobby Shop on Tampa Avenue in Northridge.

"They just wanted to see if their toys were the ones being recalled because they don't want to have them in their house," employee Rosa Northridge said.

The store is accepting recalled toys for a full refund with a receipt.

Whether parents regain confidence in the toy industry remains to be seen.

Toy sales this quarter were slow, but that's typical of the season, said Chris Byrne, a contributing editor to Toy Wishes magazine. What really counts is if toy sales add up during the winter holidays, their biggest sales period.

If toy buyers do return to the stores, they could face higher price tags. The price of gas and paper, which go into the making of many toys, are up.

With additional testing costs, "I think toy prices are inevitably going to go up," Bryne said.

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