By Brian E. Clark
WisBusiness.com
MIDDLETON – American Girl, a division of Mattel, Inc., has not been affected by the three major recalls that have hit the world’s largest in a little more than a month.
“Mattel’s recalls do not include us,” said Julie Parks, American Girl’s public relations director.
American Girl’s high-end dolls, described by some as “the anti-Barbie,” resemble girls between the ages of 6 and 10. They are priced at about $90 each.
More than 13 million dolls have been sold through the company’s catalogue, retail stores and Web site since the company was started in 1986.
In addition to the dolls, which are made in China, the company also sells books, magazines and accessories.
The recent recalls have hammered Mattel and left it struggling to keep its reputation afloat. Its shares closed down 2 percent yesterday to $21.94, down from a 52-week high of $29.71.
Mattel Chairman and CEO Robert Eckert will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce annual dinner on Oct. 25. Ironically, the theme of his keynote address is “Trust in Brands and Business.”
Analysts say continuing recalls could hurt holiday toy sales in coming months.
Late Tuesday, Mattel said it was recalling 800,000 toys, including 675,000 accessories for one of the company’s biggest sellers, the Barbie doll.
Also part of the recall, the third in just over a month, were 90,000 units of Mattel’s GeoTrax locomotive line and about 8,900 Big Big World 6-in-1 Bongo Band toys, both from the company’s Fisher-Price brand.
The Big Big World products were sold nationwide from July through August of this year, while the GeoTrax toys were sold from September 2006 through August of this year.
Mattel’s last recall, announced on Aug. 14, covered about 19 million toys worldwide. They included Chinese-made toys that either had excessive amounts of lead paint or had small magnets that could easily be swallowed by children. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.
In March of 2006, American Girl recalled 180,000 pieces of Chinese-made jewelry because they contained high levels of lead paint. The recall included American Girl necklaces, bracelets, earrings and hair accessories for girls.
Parks said she did not know how many of the pieces were returned.
She said Mattel has stressed that “consumer safety is the company’s No. 1 concern.”
Parks said her company is undergoing an “exhaustive review of procedures.”
“We want to make sure something like this does not happen again at American Girl,” she said.
