WATCH Releases Annual “10 Worst Toys of 2020” List

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on November 24, 2020

There is no doubt that this year the holidays will be a little different. With state governments and healthcare providers pleading with people to stay home, with hundreds of thousands of families mourning the loss of loved ones due to the pandemic, with a nation more vocally divided than at any point in recent history it can often feel as though there isn’t a shred of what was once thought of as “normal.” Thankfully, this is where the organization WATCH (World Against Toys Causing Harm) enters the picture, releasing, as always, its annual top 10 list of worst toys.

With schools closed and people spending more time than ever within their homes, parents are hard pressed to come up with ways to keep their children safe and entertained. This makes WATCH’s list more important than ever, as this year is poised to see millions of families desperate to find toys to occupy their children’s time.

Every year, WATCH looks at the new toys on the market for their potential safety hazards. These include things like small parts that a child could choke on, sharp parts that a child could cut themselves on, and hard parts that a child could bruise or break themselves on. It seems that despite safety guidelines, toy companies continually produce products that are minefields of danger for little ones.

According to WATCH’s statistics, each year sees around 240,000 children injured as a result of using an unsafe toy. Additionally, the organization says that, on average, a child is brought to the emergency room every three minutes as a result of an injury sustained while playing with a toy.

This year, the top 10 toys identified as potential dangers by WATCH is as follows:

1. Calico Critters Nursery Friends. Potential choking hazards.
2. Missile Launcher. Potential for eye and facial injuries.
3. Marvel Avengers Vibranium Power FX Claw. Potential for eye and facial injuries.
4. Gloria Owl. Potential for ingestion.
5. WWE Jumbo Superstar Fists. Potential for blunt force and impact injuries.
6. Sci-Fi Slime. Potential for chemical-related injuries.
7. Boomerang Interactive Stunt UFO. Potential for propeller-related injury.
8. Boom City Racers. Potential for eye and facial injuries.
9. My Sweet Love Lots of Love Babies Minis. Potential choking hazard.
10. Star Wars Mandalorian Darksaber. Potential for blunt force and eye injuries.

In response to WATCH’s warnings, it is predictable that the Toy Association, the voice for the manufacturers of toys, responded by saying the warning messages from WATCH were alarmist and not worth heeding.

Sources:

• Toy safety group releases annual list of top 10 ‘worst’ toys

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.