Owners of a recalled toy can exchange it for a voucher for another product of the same value. To see pictures of the recalled toys, visit
http://www.service.mattel.com. For more information, call Mattel's recall hot line at 800-916-4498.
Toy-maker Fisher-Price is recalling 83 types of toys _ including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters _ because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead.
The worldwide recall being announced Thursday involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys made by a Chinese vendor and sold in the United States between May and August. It is the latest in a wave of recalls that has heightened global concern about the safety of Chinese-made products.
The recall is the first for Fisher-Price Inc. and parent company Mattel Inc. involving lead paint. It is the largest for Mattel since 1998 when Fisher-Price had to yank about 10 million Power Wheels from toy stores.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, David Allmark, general manager of Fisher-Price, said the problem was detected by an internal probe and reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall is particularly alarming since Mattel, known for its strict quality controls, is considered a role model in the toy industry for how it operates in China.
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