Every holiday season, kids make their wish lists for Santa and parents work hard to fulfill their dreams – but not every gift that makes the list is a good one.
World Against Toys Causing Harm (W.A.T.C.H.) has, once again, distributed its annual list of the “worst of the worst” when it comes to holiday gifts for kids.
What’s on the list this year?
To make the annual warning list of unsafe toys, the folks at W.A.T.C.H. look for toys that are badly designed in some way that could lead to serious injuries (or even fatalities). This year’s nominees include:
- Carve Pro Stunt Scooter
- Disney The Little Mermaid King Triton’s All-Powerful Trident
- Zoom-O Turbo Disc Launcher
- Original Squishmallows-Raisy
- B Toys Make A Melody Musical Instrument Set
- Soccer Boppers
- Splat-R-Ball Dude Perfect Blaster
- Diecast Fast-Food Truck
- Orbeez Seeds-Rainbow
- Our Generation Hop In Dog Carrier
The consumer protection group cited several of these toys as being suffocation or choking hazards for young children, while the remainder could easily lead to blunt force injuries, head trauma and eye injuries.
What happens if your child is injured?
Just because a toy didn’t make this list, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily safe. These are merely known dangers. Your child could easily get hurt by a toy that you had no idea might be harmful.
If that happens, it’s important to remember that product liability laws offer consumers significant protections when an unreasonably dangerous product hits the shelves. Manufacturers, distributors and retailers alike can be held responsible for design defects (something that makes a product unsafe even when used correctly), manufacturing defects (such as subpar materials in batteries that lead to fires) and marketing defects (like failing to put age limits on certain toys).
Experienced legal guidance can help you learn more.