Mattel Recalls 18M More Toys Made in China

Mattel today announced a second, much bigger recall of Chinese-made toys that may be hazardous: 18 million of them worldwide, and 9 million in the US. The recalled items  include play sets containing magnets that can be dangerous when swallowed and die-cast cars that contain lead paint. The play sets include Polly Pocket dolls and Batman action figures, the Wall Street Journal reports. The cars include Sarge military jeeps.

The move comes on the heels of last week's recall of a million Chinese-made toys, many of them based on characters from Sesame Street and Nickelodeon. Mattel took a $30 million charge to its second-quarter earnings related to that recall; the widening crisis could have huge implications for the company as the holiday season approaches.
Last week the owner of one of the Chinese factories at the center of Mattel's first recall committed suicide in his warehouse. (More China stories.)