The United States Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has begun a probe into whether or not Zhu Zhu Pets are unsafe. A California safety organization, Good Guide, has found higher than recommended levels of antimony and tin in the popular rodent toys. The company in charge of importing the toys from China, Cepia, stands behind its products, it said in a statement.
The company's CEO, Russ Hornsby said that "The results of every test prove that our products are in compliance with all government and industry safety standards." The company also has, on its website, a blurb titled "Correction of Misleading Testing Information," which tells you everything you need to know about what Cepia thinks of Good Guide's testing.
That said, there has been talk of a Zhu Zhu Pets recall, which would be nightmarish given the popularity of the toy. Still, what are parents to do if CPSC deems Zhu Zhu pets unsafe?
Any such Zhu Zhu pets recall nightmare would not just be painful because of the sheer numbers of toys. Rather, complications will arise because parents have purchased the hot toy at 4 or 5 times the MSRP, and they will want their full money back.
Zhu Zhu Pets come in five different characters, named Patches, Chunk, PipSqueak, Mr. Squiggles, and Num Nums. The names come from Chinese meaning "little pig." They are supposed to be hamsters. Zhu Zhu Pets retail for about $10 and have become this season's toy craze. Due to the shortages, they can be sold for $40 or more on sites like eBay.
Good Guide bought three of the hot items, knowing the popularity of the Zhu Zhu pets meant that if Zhu Zhu Pets were unsafe, it would be a big issue for consumers. Their tests measured antimony, a heavy metal, at 93 parts per million in the toy's fur and at 106 parts per million in its nose. Both readings exceed the allowable level of 60 parts per million. As a heavy metal, antimony's effects on humans are similar to that of arsenic, according to Good Guide.
Good Guide gave Zhu Zhu pets, targeted at 3- to 10-year-olds, a rating of 5.2 on a 10-point scale. However, it should be remembered that no official recall has been issued and no statement that Zhu Zhu pets are unsafe has been made. If such a warning were to be issued, it would be made at the CPSC's website, in the toy section. Consumers concerned over Zhu Zhu pet safety should keep an eye on that as well as the official Zhu Zhu pet site at Zhuzhupets.com.
Written by Michael Santo
HULIQ.com
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