Tech & Biz

Zhu Zhu Pets Toxic? Should There Be a Zhu Zhu Pets Recall?

by Amy Judd | December 5, 2009 at 11:29 am

13934 views | 19 Recommendations | 7 comments

The Zhu Zhu pets, some of the most popular toys on the market for Christmas this year, have been labled as toxic by the a consumer watchdog group called Good Guide.

This group are claiming that they found a 'chemical called antimony', which they describe as a metal that can have potential health risks. According to the group, the allowed amount of antimony is 60 parts per million, but the Zhu Zhu pets have 90 parts per million.

They are saying that there perhaps should be a Zhu Zhu pets recall.

They used the hamster called Mr. Squiggles from the Zhu Zhu pets collection:

"This product contains tin, which is potentially harmful to the immune and nervous systems.

This product contains antimony, which may be linked to cancer, lung, and heart problems."

Good Guide says that the toxicity could come from a child touching the toy and then their mouth or putting the toy in their mouth directly.

They are recommending that anyone in possession of a Zhu Zhu pet contact the Cepia LLC Company that makes Zhu Zhu pets.

Cepia LLC has issued a statement in response to this claim by Good Guide saying that their findings are untrue and that the Zhu Zhu pets toys are safe:

Cepia LLC, the manufacturer of Zhu Zhu Pets, says that its Mr. Squiggles toy is "absolutely safe and has passed the most rigorous testing in the toy industry for consumer health and safety." This statement is in response to a report made earlier today by Good Guide that alleges Mr. Squiggles contains unsafe levels of antimony.

"We are disputing the findings of Good Guide and we are 100% confident that Mr. Squiggles, and all other Zhu Zhu Toys, are safe and compliant with all U.S. and European standards for consumer health and safety in toys," said Russ Hornsby, CEO of Cepia LLC.

1 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

Pat Garcia

at 12:35 on December 5th, 2009

Thanks for the information!

Kang (not verified)

at 12:59 on December 5th, 2009

Yes, they should be recalled and we should boycot any toys coming from China.

YankeeJim

at 13:01 on December 5th, 2009

A real hampster is more fun and they die as fast as childrens' interest in such toys.

Laura KurZhu (not verified)

at 15:14 on December 5th, 2009

This is untrue. The company that makes Zhu Zhu has issued a statement that they do strict product testing -www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/manufacturer-of-zhu-zhu-pets-confirms-safety-of-mr-squiggles-toy-and-offers-validation-of-testing-protocol-78604627.htmlThere were lots of toys included in this so-called study but Zhu Zhu Pets is the only one being called out. These are cute and harmless toys - some one is just trying to get famous and cause a panic.

Rave (not verified)

at 00:45 on December 11th, 2009

I work in retail and I'm get very tired of every guest asking for these Zhu Zhu pets. I have actually gotten one out of the box and my team mates and I can't believe that people are waisting their money on a so called hamster that makes sound of a toy car. People are strange. Go buy your child a "real" hamster that doesn't go "beep beep" and "vroom"

Westchaser (not verified)

at 13:44 on December 28th, 2009

Hello. As of Dec-2009, it remains CONFIRMED that Zhu Zhu pet MR. SQUIGGLES does contain high / DANGEROUS levels of Antimony. See the Wikipedia definition of Antimony here:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AntimonyEXCERPT:Antimony and many of its compounds are toxic. Clinically, antimony poisoning is very **similar to ARSENIC poisoning**. In small doses, antimony causes headache, dizziness, and depression. Larger doses cause violent and frequent vomiting, and will lead to death in a few days.Why in God's name would any toy manufacture include such a DANGEROUS chemical and then, only AFTER public discovery (no product warning on the box), defend it as safe?!CEO defensive rebuttal: www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/06/zhu-zhu-pets-recall-toxic_n_381746.htmlIn my opinion, the public should AVOID Zhu Zhu pets altogether.