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The Toy Association has launched its sixth annual Toy Safety Awareness Month, sharing advice for holiday shoppers and caregivers through November. The campaign focuses on counterfeit toys, age labels, squishy-toy use and recall checks; a survey of 1,000 U.S. parents found gaps in awareness of some risks.
The Toy Association has launched its sixth annual Toy Safety Awareness Month, sharing holiday shopping and play-safety guidance for families through social media and playsafe.org. The campaign highlights how to spot counterfeit toys, follow age labels, use squishy toys safely and check product recalls as caregivers choose gifts.
The association’s advice includes buying from known brands and trusted retailers, and treating unfamiliar online sellers or listings with misspellings or missing safety information as warning signs. Its Toy Shopping Checklist also recommends checking packaging and products for manufacturer information, age labels, safe-use instructions and company contact details. The group advises checking recalls.gov before buying secondhand toys or accepting hand-me-downs.
The campaign draws on a Wakefield Research survey of 1,000 U.S. parents. The report says 87% of respondents felt the lower price of a counterfeit or knockoff toy was not worth the potential safety risk to children. At the same time, 84% said knockoff squishy toys were safe for play. Those are survey responses, not independent tests of individual products.
The association warns that counterfeit toys may fail to meet federal safety requirements. Possible hazards cited include choking risks from broken small parts and exposure to chemicals prohibited in toys for children. For squishy toys, the group says tearing or bursting could release small parts or filling, and some products may contain hazardous chemicals. It advises caregivers not to heat, freeze, puncture, bite or otherwise misuse them.
How Shopping Choices Affect Safety
The advice is relevant as families compare prices, shop online and consider used toys during the holiday season. A product that looks similar to a familiar toy may come from an unfamiliar seller, and the association says caregivers may not always know how to identify counterfeit goods. Checking seller and product information can help shoppers make a more informed choice, though the campaign does not establish that every unfamiliar listing is unsafe.
Age labels also matter because they are safety guidance, not simply a measure of a child’s interests or abilities. The association points to small parts as a particular concern for toys labeled for children ages 3 and up. Families also may give children items not designed or tested as toys, including party supplies, costumes, electronics and home decor; the group flags hazards such as small batteries, non-toy water beads and high-powered magnets.
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What This Year’s Campaign Covers
The Toy Association says this is the sixth annual Toy Safety Awareness Month. It is using the November campaign to distribute guidance on counterfeit products, squishy toys, age grading and recall checks. Its resources include a Toy Shopping Checklist and a squishy-toy tip sheet, both available through playsafe.org.
The survey figures reported by The Toy Insider illustrate differing views among respondents. The report says 35% of parents believed toy age recommendations were merely suggestions; that response was reported by 49% of surveyed Baby Boomers. The source does not provide further survey methodology or a breakdown by other age groups, so these percentages should be read as findings from the stated survey rather than estimates for every U.S. parent.
“The organization says holiday shoppers should put safety first when buying toys and supervising play.”
— The Toy Association
Limits of the Survey and Advice
The source report does not give the survey’s field dates, question wording, margin of error or full methodology beyond saying Wakefield Research surveyed 1,000 U.S. parents. It also does not identify particular counterfeit products, sellers or recalled toys. The reported percentages therefore describe respondents’ answers and should not be treated as a direct measure of product safety or all parents’ views.
The association describes potential hazards but does not say that every counterfeit or squishy toy contains a dangerous substance or poses the same risk. Shoppers should check current recall notices and product-specific information; the campaign announcement does not name any new recall or regulatory action.
More Guidance Through November
The Toy Association says it will share additional safety guidance on social media throughout November, with resources including its shopping checklist and squishy-toy tip sheet available at playsafe.org. Families can use the materials while shopping and supervising play, and check recalls.gov when considering secondhand toys or hand-me-downs. The source report does not announce a later campaign milestone or new policy change.
Key Questions
What is the Toy Association announcing?
It has started its sixth annual Toy Safety Awareness Month, a November campaign offering holiday shopping and play-safety guidance through social media and playsafe.org.
What should shoppers check before buying a toy?
The association recommends checking the seller and product information, including manufacturer details, age labels, safe-use instructions and company contact information. It also advises buying from known brands and trusted retailers and checking recalls.gov for secondhand items.
Why does the campaign emphasize age labels?
The Toy Association says age grading provides safety guidance, including for toys that may contain small parts. Its survey report found that 35% of respondents viewed age recommendations as merely suggestions.
What does the association advise about squishy toys?
It warns that a squishy toy may tear or burst and says caregivers should not heat, freeze, puncture, bite or otherwise misuse one. The association also recommends checking packaging and product details.
Where can families find the safety resources?
The Toy Association’s Toy Shopping Checklist and squishy-toy tip sheet are available at playsafe.org. The organization says it will post additional guidance on social media throughout November.
Source: thetoyinsider.com
