Sep 10, 2007, 20:53 GMT
Los Angeles - Family entertainment giant Disney is testing toy characters for lead paint following the recall of over 2 million suspect toys by one of its main licensees, Mattel.
The testing, which will include random probes of products already on store shelves, follows a similar decision made by toy retail giant Toys 'R Us, reflecting the high level of concern within the US toy sector.
While Disney did not mention China, 80 per cent of toys sold in the US are made there, and the country's standards for production are increasingly under fire. In August, Mattel recalled more than 18 million Chinese-made toys worldwide, largely because of problems with the magnets but also because of lead paint problems.
US and Chinese trade officials are to discuss China product safety issues at the White House on Tuesday.
Disney licenses its characters to hundreds of toy manufacturers and its new policy represents a sharp divergence from its usual modus operandi in which it collects a licensing fee and leaves manufacturing and retail issues to the outside companies.
'It sends the message that we are looking over their shoulders,' said Andy Mooney, the chairman of Disney's consumer products division.
Other marketers like Sesame Workshop and Nickelodeon, which licenses popular characters like Dora the Explorer and Diego, also say they intend to test products independently.
Retailers and toymakers fear that the recalls could put a cloud of suspicion over the entire toy business just before the critical holiday shopping season.
On August 14, Mattel had to recall 436,000 small toy cars based on the character Sarge from the movie Cars, because they contained lead paint. Mattel recalled more than a half million more toys last week.
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