Fisher-Price toy kitchen shelved for safety fears

HERE’S hoping that your child isn’t looking for a Fisher-Price toy kitchen this Christmas as it’s the latest toy to be pulled off shelves due to health and safety fears.

The Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn 2-in-1 Learning Kitchen has been proven to be a hazard after four American children reportedly started choking on parts that broke off the toy.

According to Mattel, which owns the Fisher-Price brand, no injuries have so far been reported in Ireland or Britain.

This announcement is the latest in a string of product recalls by Mattel, the world’s largest toy manufacturer.

About 7,000 Learning Kitchens are reportedly in stores in preparation for the Christmas rush, according to Fisher-Price.

An estimated 2,500 have been sold and the rest are being cleared for repair. In the US, the firm has recalled about 155,000 of the toys following 48 reports of small parts coming off them.

The Learning Kitchen toys were sold in Ireland for about €93. Mattel said customers with the affected product would be sent a free repair kit.

“We can send the customer a repair kit and the customer can fit it quite simply. The items on sale in stores will be pulled and repaired in Mattel’s warehouses,” said a spokeswoman for the firm. A spokesman for Smyths Toys at Jervis Street in Dublin said the kitchen “would have been expected to be a big seller in the coming weeks”.

Mattel last month recalled more than 55,000 toys globally due to concerns about lead levels in paint.