ElfBot
10-11-2007, 05:20 PM
As Elf Hermey has posted, Mattel (http://www.mattel.com) has been sued by the Sterling Heights, Michigan Police and Fire Retirement System, accusing the toy giant of failure to report serious defects in its toys.
Many of us Kringles, myself included, may (or, admittedly, may not) have seen this coming --- but there still remains a chance that if America's toy manufacturers don't clean up their act NOW, potential damage will be done to our reputation as professional Santa Clauses!
The suit has stated, quote: "The tardiness of Mattel's disclosure of known dangers related to its latest recall is not an isolated one-off event; rather, it's just Mattel's way of 'doing business'." Frankly, if we were all in this for the money ---- and I say this remembering that most of us are not necessarily in this for the money per se ---- not only would we be doing the kids and their parents a major disservice, it wouldn't surprise me if they were willing to take their business to other places. But I digress. What's at stake here, people, is best summed up in one question: Can the toy manufacturers police their policies of distribution as makers of toys, or have they failed in that altogether? I like to think that this was an issue the script for Santa Claus: The Movie attempted to explore by introducing us to John Lithgow's B.Z. character the way it did; the problem is simply that there wasn't enough screen time in the film to tackle that topic.
Remember, this was 1985 --- and in those days, such an issue might have been considered too radical, even for professional Santas, to ponder. We've had time to learn better in the years that have passed since then. We know now what today's children expect of us: toys that are absolute quality playthings. For us to deliver otherwise would, in all honesty, prove to be our undoing. I realize I'm editorializing here, but I just wonder if all of you guys feel the same way. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.
Santa Richard
More from Clausnet.com... (http://www.clausnet.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1378)
Many of us Kringles, myself included, may (or, admittedly, may not) have seen this coming --- but there still remains a chance that if America's toy manufacturers don't clean up their act NOW, potential damage will be done to our reputation as professional Santa Clauses!
The suit has stated, quote: "The tardiness of Mattel's disclosure of known dangers related to its latest recall is not an isolated one-off event; rather, it's just Mattel's way of 'doing business'." Frankly, if we were all in this for the money ---- and I say this remembering that most of us are not necessarily in this for the money per se ---- not only would we be doing the kids and their parents a major disservice, it wouldn't surprise me if they were willing to take their business to other places. But I digress. What's at stake here, people, is best summed up in one question: Can the toy manufacturers police their policies of distribution as makers of toys, or have they failed in that altogether? I like to think that this was an issue the script for Santa Claus: The Movie attempted to explore by introducing us to John Lithgow's B.Z. character the way it did; the problem is simply that there wasn't enough screen time in the film to tackle that topic.
Remember, this was 1985 --- and in those days, such an issue might have been considered too radical, even for professional Santas, to ponder. We've had time to learn better in the years that have passed since then. We know now what today's children expect of us: toys that are absolute quality playthings. For us to deliver otherwise would, in all honesty, prove to be our undoing. I realize I'm editorializing here, but I just wonder if all of you guys feel the same way. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.
Santa Richard
More from Clausnet.com... (http://www.clausnet.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1378)