Proud Geek

(Edit as of August 14, 2007: There has been a new toy recall by Mattel, this time of the Pixar Sarge jeep, the Barbie and Tanner set, and several magnetic playsets including Polly Pocket, Doggie Daycare, and Batman / Magna)

On top of the recent Thomas the Tank Engine recall that included several of my daughters’ toys, Fisher Price just announced a huge recall of 83 types of toys. Over a million figurines and toys are affected — mostly with Elmo, Dora, and SpongeBob themes. These toys are being recalled because of paint with excessive amounts of lead (applied by a company in China), and only cover those toys sold in retail stores on and after May 1, 2007.

I checked the list of toys affected by the recall, and it turns out I have two of those toys. One (the Silly Parts Talking Elmo toy pictured on the right) was purchased well before May 1, 2007 — so no problem there. But another toy that’s popular with both of my daughters (and nibbled upon by the younger daughter, sigh), the Dora Talking Vanamos Van (pictured left) is definitely covered by the recall. It’s gonna break my girls’ hearts when I remove the van — but it’s for their health. Hmm, maybe I’ll hide it before they wake up.

The recall comes with an useful step-by-step guide on determining whether you have any toys covered by the recall and how to send them back.