[ghporter]

...for the recall of toxic and unsafe toys. Read all about it here. I am not posting this as a political rant, but a customer and consumer caution. It is NOT Mattel's fault that their manufacturing contractors f-ed up and produced toys that could kill kids, it's the contractors' fault. So what the heck is Mattel apologizing for? Trying to make nice with China's government or something? I think it's crazy.

In any case, I'd recommend that people stay WELL away from Mattel products for the foreseeable future. At least until they get the idea that kowtowing to Chinese officials doesn't win them points back home.

Thank you for your attention. Please go about your business.

[Chuckit]

According to the article, it sounds like the manufacturers were following spec.

[osiris]

If Mattel specified poison in their designs, and the Chinese built the things according to spec, then Mattel is dead wrong.
But if China took those specs, and said "heh, let's add lead 'cause we'll save a ton of money", then China is at fault.

I'm not sure what the truth is, but the apology shifts the blame onto Mattel imo.

Yeah, a ban is in order.

[Sealobo]

According to my experience doing business in China, production lines in the mainland are VERY stubborn: they do whatever they can to avoid having the responsibility to assume ANYTHING. The reason behind this is simple - they don't wanna get screwed for the settlement risk involved; usually the factories do not get paid in full at least 2-3 months after delivery.

Nowadays if you wanna place an order to produce simple cubes in China, you will have to define the exact "cube" wanted: the material, the color, the fact that every cube will have 6 sides; all the edges are meeting at 90º, or rounded at certain mm radius etc. Chinese are not stupid, and the production line people don't wanna be creative: they prefer to produce according to spec. If they're not clear about something, they ALWAYS raise the issue.

Whenever a multinational label such as Walmart approves a production line in China, the screening process is vigorous. They even have minimum standards for the dorm size of the labor; the raw material spec can't be missed.

When the news previously reported that the recalled toys were toxic, did they tell you that the chinese factories used raw material other than those specified by Mattel? No they didn't. But there had to be a specification inked by Mattel.

Design house specifies; production house manufactures according to spec. It's always been done like that. It WAS a business relationship and Mattel WAS a golden goose for many chinese manufacturers; they wouldn't do stupid things to jeopardize the opportunity. If Mattel were a small time label then it could have been a different story; some chinese businessmen are indeed nasty and they could have taken advantage of the looser compliance practice of a smaller firm. But Mattel is not a small time player they can fool, and they knew it.

Anyway, the entire case is further complicated by political reasons, and nothing can be sane among them for us outsiders.

[Thorzdad]

To be fair, the Mattel apology is just for the specification of the little magnets used in toys that could come off and be ingested. That sounds more like a design/engineering issue, rather than a manufacturing problem. The apology did not involve the lead paint problem.

[Sherman Homan]

This event is a real head scratcher. Looks to me that Mattel apologized to the guilty. Mattel is not so stupid as to confuse the magnet and lead problems, they knew what they were apologizing for. It is not clear that the apology had anything to do with the magnets. And I don't believe that Mattel's specs called for the use of lead paint.