Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Mattel's "High Standards" Unmet for Over Three Years?


After recalling over 20 million toys worldwide, the CEO of Mattel defended his companies "rigorous standards". The recall covers toys with toxic lead paint and small magnets that can become dislodged and swallowed by small children.

In the press conference Mattel's CEO didn't explain why toys produced between May 2003 and November 2006 failed to meet those high standards. Did the company set a high bar with no methods to ensure it's reached? That appears to be the case from his statements.

"I'm disappointed, I'm upset, but I can ensure your viewers that we are doing everything we can about the situation. Every production batch of toys is being tested, and we'll continue to enforce the highest quality standards in the industry."

What were the test results from production batches over the three and a half year run? Were any even done?