The Aqua Dots Recall

This year, 2007, has been a year which will go down in history as far as the toy industry is concerned - unfortunately, in a negative way. There have been a large number of toy recalls due to various factors, not just high lead content, which is a leading contender, but also serious design flaws. The toy recalls haven't spared even the big toy manufacturers like Mattel and Fisher-Price, RC2 and many others. As the holiday season approaches, we're seeing an increase in the number of toy recalls, which is pretty predictable, as the lead test results from various manufacturers come trickling in.

However, it doesn't stop here. The most shocking (until now, at least) recall is the Aqua Dots recall. Aqua Dots is manufactured by Moose Enterprises in Australia. Spin Master is the distributor of Aqua Dots in North America. Aqua Dots had been slowly working it's way up to the hot toys list this season by the virtue of its unique nature and also some very clever and strategic advertising. Unfortunately, Aqua Dots is one of those kind of products which had a LOT of potential. It was based on a clever idea, was easy to do and caused minimal mess, all which really appealed to the end consumer. In fact, I, myself, had a lot of fun with Aqua Dots while testing it out. The way the Aqua Dots works is that it contains these little beads which can be squeezed out into a design formation and made to stick together by spraying some water on them.

On to the important stuff - the Aqua Dots recall. The Aqua Dots recall is due to the beads containing a toxic chemical, which if ingested, can cause potential harm. According to the CPSC, "The coating on the beads that causes the beads to stick to each other when water is added contains a chemical that can turn toxic when many are ingested. Children who swallow the beads can become comatose, develop respiratory depression, or have seizures."

If you own the Aqua Dots, take away the recalled toy immediately and contact Spin Master for a free replacement. Spin Master has set up a special website which can be accessed at www.aquadotsrecall.com for any questions that you may have about the Aqua Dots recall.