Toy companies have taken some big hits recently with recalls over lead, magnets that kids can swallow and other dangers. Some of those toys that were pulled off the shelves are returning, all cleaned up and with new names.
Spin Master Ltd.'s Aqua Dots -
recalled because the toy's beads contained a substance that, when swallowed, turns into the date rape drug GHB, putting children into temporary comas - has been rebranded as
Pixos and now manufactured without the nasty substance. For some companies, the financial hit taken by a recall could climb higher by abandoning a toy altogether, throwing away all the money and time that went into getting the product out in the first place.
The
Wall Street Journal reports:
Spin Master considered retiring the toy, says Mark Sullivan, who heads the company's marketing and design. But Spin Master "had invested millions of dollars in product development, manufacturing and TV commercials" for Aqua Dots and "customers were saying they love the toy."
So the company abandoned the Aqua Dots name but not the toy. "We're not trying to fool anyone," says Mr. Sullivan. By calling the toy Pixos, he says, the company isn't just rebranding it, but also allowing parents to distinguish the new product from the old, dangerous one. To save costs, Spin Master even repurposed old commercials for this year, replacing the Aqua Dots jingle with a riff that goes "p-p-p-Pixos!"
Some companies, though, don't have the luxury of swapping a toy's name.
Thomas and Friends,
Dora the Explorer and
Cars toys were among those recalled because of their lead content, but the companies behind them haven't overhauled their appearances.
