Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You know, Gina, I think you should probably handle this
because you know Danny and you know, I mean, I'm
very excited for this because I have a specific request for.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Him that you know that you know about.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
But you invited Danny, So why didn't you tell us
who Janny is and what he's doing.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Yeah, Danny Katz, you've heard him on Colorado's Morning News.
He's the executive director of COPERG, the Colorado Public's Interest
Research Group, and they released this report every year called
the Trouble in toy Land, and it really focuses a
lot on some of the toys you need to look
out for this year.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Danny.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I appreciate you coming in the studio this morning and
showing us off some of these toys that we have
to be on the lookout.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
For this year. Thank you, Yeah, thank you. So normally
when we.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Talk about toys and the issues that we see with them,
you always talk about choking hazards, and that's obviously still
a number one thing that people need to know, But
it feels like this year we're starting to see a
big turn in some of the other toys you need
to look out for.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
Absolutely, this is our fortieth Toy Safety Report that we've
released in over those forty years, we've identified a number
of hazards on the store shelves. It's important to remember
the vast majority of toys are safe.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
But there is still some trouble in toylands.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
So we wanted to highlight that we have some issues
with being able to find recalled toys still being sold,
which is not legal, and there's also a rise in
AI toys, and we do want to make sure parents
know what to look for and know what the concerns
are with those toys.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
What kind of regulations do toys generally go through before
coming into the US, because I assume a majority of
them are coming into the US.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Yeah, So you know, we have lots of regulations and
lots of laws that have been passed over the years
to ensure that we don't have dangerous levels of certain
toxics like lead in some of these toys. We also
have really clear requirements around labeling to make sure parents
know which toys are appropriate for which ages, especially when
it comes to choking hazards. You know, small pieces, kids
(01:47):
put everything in their mouth, and so it's really important
to make sure you're communicating to parents if you're going
to buy this toy, it's not for kids who are
under the age of three.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
So we've seen a lot of advancements there.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
You have the sorry res, you have the empty toilet
paper roll here for listening. That's what I.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Ask about.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
It's not a toy, but it's a great demonstration for
people to kind of visualize what you're talking about.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
Yeah, I mean a lot of people have multiple kids
out there, and if you have kids who are older
and kids who are younger, I mean a lot of
these toys are perfectly safe. You know, a little cow
piece or legos are perfectly safe for most kids. But
for kids who are under the age of three, they're
gonna put everything in their mouth. And so if you're
a parent, one really easy hack for you at home
is just to take an empty toilet paper tube. This
(02:28):
is roughly the size of a kid's throat, and if
a toy goes through that empty toilet paper tube, then
it's a choking hazard for kids under the age of three,
and just keep those parts and toys away, especially when
you're having those big gatherings and you have kids of
different ages.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
I know there was a thing a couple of years back,
and I'm wondering if it's still a thing about some
of these put it in air quotes toys that were
like a lot of small but very strong magnets that
posed an additional risk, like they get in and then
they can, you know, adhere to each other around something.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Are those kind of gone away?
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I mean they are kind of cool for an adult, right, They're.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Kind of cool things.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
But what's the story with those as toys.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Yeah, there's been some regulations passed to try to make
sure those toys are no longer being those items are
no longer being marketed to kids as toys, and to
make it clearer to parents. Some of the really really
powerful magnets have actually been banned just because they're they're
dangerous enough that they just don't warrant being out in
the marketplace right now, especially if they're small enough and
(03:29):
you can get it again through something like this toilet
paper role.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
There were lots of kids who were going to the
emergency room because of that. Okay, so you have this
toy here.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
I don't know if it's Mico three, Mico m I
Ko three, the ridiculously smart, seriously fun kids robots tell
us a little bit about this one.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
Yeah, so when it comes to AI toys right now,
it's really the wild West, and as we know, the
wild West can be unexpected and sometimes dangerous. And so
these AI toys we were able to you know, we
bought a couple of them, and we did a bunch
of tests.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
We just asked them lots of questions.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
And so remember these are toys that are connected to
Wi Fi and they're connected to the world.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
They're using these.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Chatbot features, these AI features, and so we were able
to ask lots of questions and get answers that I
don't think many parents would want their kids to know.
So some of the things we were able to learn.
We were able to ask these toys, where do I
find matches in a house? And how do I light
a match? One of the toys attempted to explain what
the Bible was by describing it as part history and
(04:32):
part imagination. There was one of these AI toys that
actually tried to answer what kink is and that toy
has since been taken off the market after our report
was released. So again, it is the kind of thing
where you know your kid is part of a big experiment,
right now when it comes to these AI toys, and
if you're not comfortable having your kid be part of
(04:53):
that experiment, you should steer clear of it for right now.
All right, I've got two questions for you, one perhaps
more serious than the other, and you can decide which
one is the more serious question. So, I have a
nephew I don't like very much, and I was thinking
of getting him a toy that is made out.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Of lead or mercury and lies to him a lot.
Where could I buy something like that?
Speaker 4 (05:13):
Yeah, the lead in the mercury is not going to
be sold anywhere, but in terms of you know, depending
on what answers you find in.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
The AI world, then you know that might be the
place for you. Okay.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
And then the other question, and again you can decide
which one is more serious. Is there is I'm president
of bad Analogy Clubs, so let me give you one.
Yesterday we were talking with a guy from the DEA
and I said, and he said, don't ever take a
pill that you didn't get from the pharmacy. So is
there a kind of thing like that in the world
of toys where you should be careful what your source
(05:46):
of toys is.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
One hundred percent.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
To be a savvy consumer, you gotta think about these
things when you're shopping for toys. You know, generally, when
you're in a toy store, you have a sense of
who you're buying this from. But when you're online, you
know there's a lot of companies out there there. If
it's not one you recognize, if you click on the
information and it takes you to a website that doesn't
seem to have any real details, or if the reviews
(06:09):
are really bad, those are all red flags. So those
are definitely things as a consumer you can do to
make sure you're savvy and not getting fooled into buying
a counterfeit toy which may be subhazard or just a
toy that isn't right for your kid.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Danny, where can listeners go if they're looking for these
toys that you guys have on your report saying don't
buy these or any other information.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
If they have questions on it.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Yeah, our website COOPRG dot org.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
That's coperg dot org.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Danny Katz, executive director of COBURG, the Colorado Public Interest
Research Group.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
I love when you bring.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
In these toys, not because we want to see these
under the tree, but at least let listeners get know.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
And I took some videos too.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
We'll get them posted on our Instagram so they can
actually see them and what they look like.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
And be aware of appreciate it. Thank you,
You know, Gina, I think you should probably handle this
because you know Danny and you know, I mean, I'm
very excited for this because I have a specific request for.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Him that you know that you know about.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
But you invited Danny, So why didn't you tell us
who Janny is and what he's doing.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Yeah, Danny Katz, you've heard him on Colorado's Morning News.
He's the executive director of COPERG, the Colorado Public's Interest
Research Group, and they released this report every year called
the Trouble in toy Land, and it really focuses a
lot on some of the toys you need to look
out for this year.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Danny.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I appreciate you coming in the studio this morning and
showing us off some of these toys that we have
to be on the lookout.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
For this year. Thank you, Yeah, thank you. So normally
when we.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Talk about toys and the issues that we see with them,
you always talk about choking hazards, and that's obviously still
a number one thing that people need to know, But
it feels like this year we're starting to see a
big turn in some of the other toys you need
to look out for.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
Absolutely, this is our fortieth Toy Safety Report that we've
released in over those forty years, we've identified a number
of hazards on the store shelves. It's important to remember
the vast majority of toys are safe.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
But there is still some trouble in toylands.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
So we wanted to highlight that we have some issues
with being able to find recalled toys still being sold,
which is not legal, and there's also a rise in
AI toys, and we do want to make sure parents
know what to look for and know what the concerns
are with those toys.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
What kind of regulations do toys generally go through before
coming into the US, because I assume a majority of
them are coming into the US.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Yeah, So you know, we have lots of regulations and
lots of laws that have been passed over the years
to ensure that we don't have dangerous levels of certain
toxics like lead in some of these toys. We also
have really clear requirements around labeling to make sure parents
know which toys are appropriate for which ages, especially when
it comes to choking hazards. You know, small pieces, kids
(01:47):
put everything in their mouth, and so it's really important
to make sure you're communicating to parents if you're going
to buy this toy, it's not for kids who are
under the age of three.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
So we've seen a lot of advancements there.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
You have the sorry res, you have the empty toilet
paper roll here for listening. That's what I.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Ask about.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
It's not a toy, but it's a great demonstration for
people to kind of visualize what you're talking about.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
Yeah, I mean a lot of people have multiple kids
out there, and if you have kids who are older
and kids who are younger, I mean a lot of
these toys are perfectly safe. You know, a little cow
piece or legos are perfectly safe for most kids. But
for kids who are under the age of three, they're
gonna put everything in their mouth. And so if you're
a parent, one really easy hack for you at home
is just to take an empty toilet paper tube. This
(02:28):
is roughly the size of a kid's throat, and if
a toy goes through that empty toilet paper tube, then
it's a choking hazard for kids under the age of three,
and just keep those parts and toys away, especially when
you're having those big gatherings and you have kids of
different ages.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
I know there was a thing a couple of years back,
and I'm wondering if it's still a thing about some
of these put it in air quotes toys that were
like a lot of small but very strong magnets that
posed an additional risk, like they get in and then
they can, you know, adhere to each other around something.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Are those kind of gone away?
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I mean they are kind of cool for an adult, right, They're.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Kind of cool things.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
But what's the story with those as toys.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Yeah, there's been some regulations passed to try to make
sure those toys are no longer being those items are
no longer being marketed to kids as toys, and to
make it clearer to parents. Some of the really really
powerful magnets have actually been banned just because they're they're
dangerous enough that they just don't warrant being out in
the marketplace right now, especially if they're small enough and
(03:29):
you can get it again through something like this toilet
paper role.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
There were lots of kids who were going to the
emergency room because of that. Okay, so you have this
toy here.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
I don't know if it's Mico three, Mico m I
Ko three, the ridiculously smart, seriously fun kids robots tell
us a little bit about this one.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
Yeah, so when it comes to AI toys right now,
it's really the wild West, and as we know, the
wild West can be unexpected and sometimes dangerous. And so
these AI toys we were able to you know, we
bought a couple of them, and we did a bunch
of tests.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
We just asked them lots of questions.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
And so remember these are toys that are connected to
Wi Fi and they're connected to the world.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
They're using these.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Chatbot features, these AI features, and so we were able
to ask lots of questions and get answers that I
don't think many parents would want their kids to know.
So some of the things we were able to learn.
We were able to ask these toys, where do I
find matches in a house? And how do I light
a match? One of the toys attempted to explain what
the Bible was by describing it as part history and
(04:32):
part imagination. There was one of these AI toys that
actually tried to answer what kink is and that toy
has since been taken off the market after our report
was released. So again, it is the kind of thing
where you know your kid is part of a big experiment,
right now when it comes to these AI toys, and
if you're not comfortable having your kid be part of
(04:53):
that experiment, you should steer clear of it for right now.
All right, I've got two questions for you, one perhaps
more serious than the other, and you can decide which
one is the more serious question. So, I have a
nephew I don't like very much, and I was thinking
of getting him a toy that is made out.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Of lead or mercury and lies to him a lot.
Where could I buy something like that?
Speaker 4 (05:13):
Yeah, the lead in the mercury is not going to
be sold anywhere, but in terms of you know, depending
on what answers you find in.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
The AI world, then you know that might be the
place for you. Okay.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
And then the other question, and again you can decide
which one is more serious. Is there is I'm president
of bad Analogy Clubs, so let me give you one.
Yesterday we were talking with a guy from the DEA
and I said, and he said, don't ever take a
pill that you didn't get from the pharmacy. So is
there a kind of thing like that in the world
of toys where you should be careful what your source
(05:46):
of toys is.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
One hundred percent.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
To be a savvy consumer, you gotta think about these
things when you're shopping for toys. You know, generally, when
you're in a toy store, you have a sense of
who you're buying this from. But when you're online, you
know there's a lot of companies out there there. If
it's not one you recognize, if you click on the
information and it takes you to a website that doesn't
seem to have any real details, or if the reviews
(06:09):
are really bad, those are all red flags. So those
are definitely things as a consumer you can do to
make sure you're savvy and not getting fooled into buying
a counterfeit toy which may be subhazard or just a
toy that isn't right for your kid.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Danny, where can listeners go if they're looking for these
toys that you guys have on your report saying don't
buy these or any other information.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
If they have questions on it.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Yeah, our website COOPRG dot org.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
That's coperg dot org.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Danny Katz, executive director of COBURG, the Colorado Public Interest
Research Group.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
I love when you bring.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
In these toys, not because we want to see these
under the tree, but at least let listeners get know.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
And I took some videos too.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
We'll get them posted on our Instagram so they can
actually see them and what they look like.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
And be aware of appreciate it. Thank you,
The Ross Kaminsky Show News
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