BOSTON (AP) — A stuffed bunny is on the list, 20 is
New Born Baby and the Get Along Gang. are 4mong
items-a consumer advocate has put on his worst toys

parents that injury and death’can lurk in the cute
and cuddly this Christmas.

The list released recently by Edward Swartz at a news
conference marks the 14th Christmas season the Boston
lawyer has warned the public of dangers in children’s toy
boxes — dangers that include sharp spikes, suffocating parts
and strangling cords.

“The toys are different, but the risks are the same,” said
Swartz, a personal injury lawyer and author of the 1971
book, Toys That Don't Care.

Swartz has taken a new step this year, circulating a
“wanted poster” for the Play Family, small plastic figurines
sold by Fisher-Price Toys. Swartz contends the toys are
being sold even though they have been linked to the deaths
of three children who swallowed them and the near-suffo-
cation and brain damage of a fourth.

The lawyer has brought suit against Fisher-Price on
behalf of the parents in one of the cases.

Carol Blackley, a spokesman for Fisher-Price, said the
toys “meet all standards set by the industry as well as the
federal government,” adding that 45 million of the figures
have been sold.

The toys on this year's 10 Worst List are:

© Technic Mobilo Starter Pack, produced by Playground
Supplies Ltd., an Australian company. Swartz said the small
plastic building set contains parts that a child could swallow
and choke on.

© Straight Kick, a padded plastic foot that can be
propelled forward on an accordion-like device. Swartz said
the toy serves no other purpose than “to encourage hitting
each other.”

e Rabbit Plush Toy, made by Well-Made Toy Manufac
turing Co. The stuffed rabbit's 76-centimetre scarf and easily
removable nose and mouth present the threat of strangula
tion and suffocation, Swartz said

A company spokesman, who would not identify himself,

fade” SAO i

He said there have been no reports of injuries.

© New Bera Baby, made by Portoplay Inc. Swarts said
the infant doll comes with a tiny pacifier that can be
swallowed.

@ Ronnie's Musical Recker, sold by Lovee Doll and Toy
Co., is a small plastic horse that comes with a
drinking and wetting doll. Swartz said the rocking horse has
severe “stability problems.”

Lenny Roth, president of Lovee Doll, said: “We've been
selling this for three years and I haven't gotten any
complaints yet.”

© Get Along Gang Play Figures, sold by American
Greeting Corp. Swartz said the heads of the small, stuffed
figures can be easily removed, exposing a sharp metal spike.

Larry Gonick, a sales manager for ican Greetings,
said 60 pounds of effort is needed to remove the head, twice
the foree listed in government regulations. “No child could
ever, ever take it apart,” he said.

© Bloodsuckers from Marchon Inc. The pen resembles a
flying insect and gives the appearance you are drawing
blood from someone's arm. Swartz said children may throw
the sharp object through the air.

© Dungeon and Dragons Poseable Player Characters.
The toys come with a pointed plastic spear that presents a
danger to children's eyes, Swartz said.

“It's the first time I've heard any criticism of the
product which has been on the market for several years,”
said Anthony Gatto, senior vice-president with LJN Co. of
New York.

Missile Tank. Swartz said the rubber tips on missiles
fired by the toy tank can be easily removed and swallowed.
Swartz could not name the manufacturer

e Soft Triplets Crib Gym, manufactured by Johnson and
Johnson. Swartz said this and other toys strung across the
top of cribs with elastic presents the threat of strangulation.
“More than two million have been sold without serious
accident or without consumer complaint concerning
entanglement,” said Bob Niffen, a spokesman for the
company.

LEA SEES A
NEW ORDER IN
B.C. POLITICS

By CHARLES LA VERTU

VICTORIA (CP) — Graham Lea stares out his
second-storey office in the Parliament buildings at the
posteard-picture waterfront and dreams the impossible
dream.

He sees a new order in B.C. politics, an end to the
confrontation and bickering that has divided the province
for years.

Lea, who represents the north coast riding of Prince
Rupert, recalls that when he was highways minister in
the short-lived NDP government of the early 1970s his
office was one storey above.

Now he covets the west wing suite of Premier Bill
Bennett.

Lea quit the NDP this year to sit as the only
independent among 33 Social Credit and 23 NDP
members after finishing last among six candidates
seeking to replace Dave Barrett as opposition leader

He is staking out the middle ground and advocates a
pragmatic approach. He has titled his weekly newspaper
column The View from the Middle

Gone are the jeans and open-necked shirts worn
when he was a cabinet minister. And polyester has been
replaced by three-piece pinstripes. Also gone is the beer
belly as the body is honed along with the image.

Lea remembers the birth of Social Credit in this
province 32 years ago when then-Conservative W.A.C.
Bennett, father of the current premier, crossed the floor
of the house.

“It’s amazing, I wasn’t politically aware — alive but
not aware — in the early 1950s when this happened
before,” Lea said

Today he contemplates a new political party — a
decision he will make in March or April so it won't be too
late to prepare for the next provincial election expected
as early as 1986.

“It looks to me like that’s what the people want,” he
said,-adding that his supporters feel that the existing
parties are not dealing with the realities of the '80s in
terms of resource management, the economy and social
programs.

LACK VISION

“They don't feel that the other parties have a vision
of the future, that they have makeshift programs based
on the solutions that they devised for the problems of
yesterday but not today.”

Lea, 50, a member of the legislature since 1972, said
the people he has been talking to prefer the “dogma of the
middle” to the dogma of the right or left.

But the middle of the political road is potholed in
British Columbia. Liberals and Conservatives have not
elected a member since 1978.

Lea said it will cost at least $1 million to start a new
political party but he sees a source of funds in the small
businessmen and corporations he says have been
neglected by the Socreds and NDP.

To revive British Columbia from the recession, Lea
said the province must start making the shift to an
economy based on the sale of expertise and techniques
rather than products.

This means that eduction has to be a hgh priority so
people can be trained to do the research and development
for an economy based on skills and knowledge rather than
lumber and ore.

“In the short term, we're going to have to talk about
sharing — work sharing, resource sharing. We're going to
have to act as a community and be coneerned about our
neighbors as we struggle to help each other get through
these bad times and invest in the future.”

Lea said the NDP and Socreds are making a major
mistake dealing with current
though they are temporary

economic problems as

Youngster helped Ethiopians

VANCOUVER (CP) -
While other children enjoyed
a day off from school, 12
year-old Genevieve Creight
on of North Vancouver spent
her day working for children

going to Oxfam's Vancouver
office for the Ethiopia relief
fund.

“We had three crews with
12 kids,” Genevieve said. “I
organized it myself and we

drive, which lasted three
hours, ranged in age from
four to 13 years. Some
parents donated their time as
drivers.

“We made $130. People

didn’t have bottles and want
ed to help.”

Genevieve said she learned
how poor people were in
Ethiopia from watching tel
evision.

in Ethiopia

The Grade 7 student at
Highland Elementary Sehool,
organized her own bottle
drive with all the proceeds

just went around and knock
ed on people's doors to see if
they had any bottles we could
cash in.”

She said her friends on the

that had bottles were more
than happy to give them to
us. There were a lot of bot
tles. We also got about $8 in
money from some people who

“My mom told me about it
too. I think the worst part is
starving babies and little

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Until 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays,
Prices effective until Saturday, December 1.

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