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Thomas the Tank Engine, Minion and Pokemon Go toys to be destroyed in Fair Trading crackdown

A Thomas the Tank Engine train, a Minion toy rifle and 45 other dangerous toys will be destroyed on Wednesday as part of an annual product safety blitz.

The NSW Minister responsible for Fair Trading Victor Dominello said there were "no apologies" for the annual pre-Christmas blitz, which saw NSW Fair Trading inspectors visit 746 businesses and inspect 10,727 individual products. 

"Thomas the Tank Engine, Winnie the Pooh and Pikachu toys might look adorable, but if they're non-compliant and unsafe, we must act to protect consumers," said Mr Dominello.

NSW Fair trading has been running the crackdown for 15 years. The program has seen a decline in non-compliant toys seized since 2014 when 95 dangerous toys were destroyed.  

"The team found 47 non-compliant and dangerous toys sold in retailers across the state [this year], significantly lower than last year's 83 toys," said Mr Dominello.

Consumer advocacy group Choice, which worked with Fair Trading, said the decline was because of Fair Trading's efforts in educating retailers about standards and ensuring cheap toys that enter the market are safe.

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"The critical thing is that any non-compliant toys don't find their way into the hands of young kids because often they are very appealing as stocking fillers as they tend to be cheaper," said Choice's spokesman Tom Godfrey.  

Choice experts put toys suspected of being unsafe to a variety of tests, including drop tests, tension tests, small-parts tests and toys failed if parts of them "fell off" and if those parts were small enough for children to swallow or inhale.

"We're looking to ensure that button batteries are properly encased ... so that little fingers can't find their way in because a button battery looks very appealing to a young child, it looks a lot like a lolly," said Mr Godfrey.

A battery-operated Thomas the Tank Engine train and a Winnie the Pooh Light Up Musical Toy failed the tests because their battery compartment covers could have been opened using just fingertips despite being secured with a screw. 

Other toys such as an Angry Bird toy that lays eggs, a Paw Patrol cartoon truck, squeaky spiky balls and mini pianos failed for having choking hazards.

Three aquatic toys were seized including an inflatable frog with flashing eyes, an inflatable swimming vest and an inflatable swimming ring because they were classified as having potential drowning risks. 

According to Fair Trading, individuals caught selling dangerous toys face a maximum fine of $220,000 while companies can face fines of up to $1.1 million.

Consumers who have unknowingly purchased an unsafe toy are entitled to a full refund of the purchase price otherwise they should dispose of the toy immediately.

The full list

  1. Shark Raid Car No.HD 990
  2. Thomas Light-up Train
  3. Paw Patrol Cartoon Truck No.767-588
  4. Winnie the Pooh Light Up Musical
  5. Thomas & Friends Take Along
  6. Future Star Loveable Duck
  7. Angry Bird Egg Laying Bird
  8. Pokemon Go Car
  9. Air H2O Blaster
  10. Squadra Atineedio Fire Truck
  11. Pokemon Go Pikachu Buggy
  12. Despicable Me 2 Light toy No.2028
  13. Paw Patrol Fire Truck No.XZ-348
  14. Minion Toy Car
  15. Yellow Transformer Car
  16. Play Together Air Bus
  17. Spongebob Squarepants Car
  18. Frozen Cartoon Electric Piano
  19. Minion Dave No.1
  20. Century New Truck
  21. Thomas Flash Electric Train
  22. Despicable Me Bump & Go Car
  23. Power Shoot archery set
  24. Despicable Me 2 Rifle
  25. Intex Pool Swim Vest
  26. 24" swim ring
  27. Inflatable frog balloon with flashing eyes
  28. Panahan Bow & Arrow kit
  29. Light Up Train
  30. Light up spikey squeaky balls
  31. Light up spikey squeaky footballs
  32. Light up spikey squishy ball
  33. Pink & Yellow mini piano
  34. Push back mouse
  35. Squishy tiger with pop out eyes
  36. Raytheon Phantom Soft Bullet Pistol
  37. Raytheon Phantom Soft Bullet Gun
  38. Pink Octopus musical toy
  39. Funny Toys Super Plane
  40. Bag of bathtub ducks
  41. Large rattles
  42. Pink Super Shark
  43. Plastic Panda Aeroplane
  44. Light up toy dog
  45. Battery Operated Frog
  46. Red Fire Truck
  47. Green Army Tank
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