November 29, 2007 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

O’Doodles dodges toy troubles
by Kristin Pazulski

O’Doodle’s toy store owner Fran O’Donnell is calm despite the panic over the recent recalls that have shaken the American toy industry. His employees, he says, can help shoppers avoid recalled toys. (Photo by Erin Vertreace)

While concerned parents are rushing to return recalled toys and toy manufacturers are working on damage control, Fran O’Donnell, owner of O’Doodle’s toy store, remains calm amid the chaos of the recent toy recalls that have raised concerns about toy manufacturing oversight in America.

“I don’t remember when there’s been this much hype about recalls,” said O’Donnell, whose store at 8335 Germantown Ave., is a mecca for parents with young children.

In July, Mag Stix Magnetic Building Sets were recalled because the small magnets on the sets could detach and be swallowed, causing serious intestinal problems, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall site.

Then in August and September, three large recalls, totaling more than 20 million toys, were made because of lead paint and the dangers of swallowing small magnets.

The most recent, made this month, was the recall of the toy Aqua Dots because a chemical in the beads’ coating, when ingested, transformed into the drug gamma hydroxy butyrate, which can be used as a date rape drug.

Fortunately for O’Donnell, O’Doodle’s was barely affected by the recalls.

The only toys found on O’Doodle’s shelves was a Thomas the Tank Engine car and a Schylling spinning top, which were part of the August recall because of lead found in their red paint. The toys were taken off the shelf, boxed and shipped to the manufacturers, who replaced the parts containing the lead paint and reimbursed O’Doodle’s for the shipping and any customer returns.

O’Donnell said the manufacturers he works with have been very responsive about the recalls, from providing photo images of recalled toys to share with customers to signing written guarantees that the toys they provide the store are safe.

After the Thomas the Tank Engine recall, O’Donnell contacted all of the manufacturers he works with requesting written statements guaranteeing that their toys are tested and safe. The “Safe Toy Binder” sits on his desk, so if customers come in with questions or concerns he can show them the guarantees.

And customers have certainly been coming in the store with questions.

“People are asking and we have used this resource,” O’Donnell said, holding the binder open.

O’Donnell said the recalls are actually benefiting the small neighborhood toy stores because unlike the big-box stores, smaller stores offer quick answers and personal attention.

He said when parents come in, they can talk to O’Doodle’s employees or even him, if he’s around. If O’Doodles does not know an answer, “We’ll just pick up the phone” and call a manufacturer, he said.

“A lot of the manufacturers we deal with are smaller. We’re a mom-and-pop store, and they are mom-and-pop manufacturers,” he explained.

O’Donnell said the recall is improving aspects of the toy industry, though he is still concerned about oversight of products, since most of the toys recalled were made in China.

Manufacturers’ representatives have to be more informed about the toys they are selling to retailers now because parents and retailers are concerned about the “Made in China” label.

“Parents are flipping the box over and seeing where it’s made,” O’Donnell said, and retailers are therefore also asking questions. “These recalls are making representatives for companies know their product better.”

One salesman, O’Donnell said, tried to sell him organic stuffed animals, but they were made in China. O’Donnell said he was wary and did not buy.

But, he added, making the store 100 percent local and American made is nearly impossible.

“We do have a lot of American-made things,” he said. “But I’d be very hard pressed to say everything we sell is made here [in America] because though a toy may be assembled here, the pieces are made elsewhere.”

He does work with one company, Wish Come True of West Chester, that guarantees all its pieces are made and assembled in America, but most companies do not.

O’Donnell’s confidence in his manufacturers remains steady, but that doesn’t mean the recalls have not left him concerned.

“If anything, I question the watchdogs,” he said, referring to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which, according to an article in Mother Jones magazine, has suffered from staffing and program cuts since its start in the 1970s.

O’Donnell said that he can sympathize with some of the recalls resulting from swallowed parts and magnets. But lead paint?

“I would understand small parts, but something as basic — and as old — as lead paint to be neglected, it’s inexcusable,” he said. “That’s just a blatant oversight.”

O’Donnell does not think the recalls will affect the holiday gift-giving season. He said the staff is ready and expecting more questions from parents this year, but already the ordering from the store’s catalogue has been steady.

If anything, the state of the economy would be more likely to affect sales, he said, but even that is not concerning him, saying that buying gifts for kids is something parents are willing to splurge on.

“People talk of the economy being bad, but they aren’t going to give up on their kids,” he said.

But he warned parents that being a cautious shopper this season can’t hurt.

“Ask the questions, don’t assume,” he said. “Maybe it’s a good wakeup call that parents really should know what their kids are playing with.”

Contact staff writer Kristin Pazulski at 215-248-8819 or Kristin@Chestnuthilllocal.com.