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Lack of off switch
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has ordered Mattel to attach a warning label to Cabbage Patch Snacktime Kids dolls. The company has also conducted its own investigation into the doll’s safety. The CPSC is aware of 35 reports of children getting their fingers or hair caught in the mouth of the doll. The doll is prone to choking if it does not have an off switch.
Snacktime Kid Cabbage Patch Dolls were popular in the 1980s and allowed kids to feed the motorized mouths with plastic food. The dolls were meant to be fed, so the food would land in the backpack. However, the doll would turn on humans when they were out of food. The motorized mouth of the dolls had no off switch. A child’s finger could accidentally push the mouth of the doll, triggering the motorized mouth and choking the child.
Signature on tush of doll
While most original soft-sculptured Little People are signed on the left thigh, some are not. They do, however, bear the signature of their maker, Xavier Roberts. You can spot the signature on the tush of a Cabbage Patch doll if you look closely. Most Cabbage Patch dolls are also signed on the bum.
The original Cabbage Patch Kids were never called that, as they were simply called Little People. They were created by Georgia artist Xavier Roberts, who signed each doll with a permanent marker. Later, he used a stamp to identify the doll. Some of the dolls still bear the signature, but they are more coveted than others. Besides the signature, the dolls often come with a birth certificate, so they are even more valuable.
Asbestos dusting powder
An ad for a toy based on the CBS show CSI contains an asbestos dusting powder. While children may love collecting evidence like fingerprints, the dusting powder contains a deadly form of asbestos. This substance is known to cause lung cancer and mesothelioma. This toy manufacturer went bankrupt after the problem came to light. As a result, the company no longer manufactures the toy.
A toy marketed as a fingerprint-taking kit for toddlers contained 5% of the deadly mineral. The company promptly removed the toy after the ADAO filed a lawsuit over the toy’s release of asbestos dusting powder. Asbestos dusting powder is a common carcinogen that can cause cancer and disabling chest diseases. It is unclear what the manufacturer did to avoid the lawsuit, but this is a terrible situation for children.