BOSTON -- A set of dinosaur claws, a quick-folding trampoline for 6-year-olds, and a slingshot-like device that can launch projectiles 100 feet are on the short list of the most dangerous children's toys this holiday season.
The annual "10 Worst Toys" list published by the U.S.-based consumer watchdog, World Against Toys Causing Harm, is meant to ward parents off impulse buying for their children ahead of the holiday shopping surge.
"There remains an alarming number of dangerous toys on store shelves, in catalogues and on e-retailers' websites," WATCH said in a press release announcing this year's list.
The list highlights a set of Jurassic World Velociraptor Claws manufactured by Hasbro, disembodied foam arms from the predatory dinosaur for children 4-years old and up. W.A.T.C.H. says the packaging provides "no warnings or cautions are provided regarding the potential for eye and facial injuries."
A spokesman for Hasbro was not immediately reachable for comment, but the product's packaging says the claws are made of soft foam to "prevent damage."
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Others on the WATCH list include the Kid Connection Doctor Playset by Wal-Mart, which provides instruments like a 4-3/4-inch tongue depressor for children 2-years old and up that the group said poses a choking hazard, and the Foam Dart Gun by GD. Jiefeng Toys, which WATCH says looks real enough to get children into trouble.
Officials for Wal-Mart and GD. Jiefeng were not immediately available to comment.
The Toy Industry Association said the industry is meeting or exceeding stringent federal safety standards, and that WATCH and other toy safety watchdog groups have routinely misrepresented their toys in reports.
According to the U.S. Consumer Protection Safety Commission, there were nine toy-related deaths of children in 2013, down from 11 in 2012, along with more than 256,0000 toy-related emergency room visits.
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Other toys on the list include a Quick Folding Trampoline by Toys R Us that WATCH said posed the risk of neck injury if a child falls, and the Splat X Smack Shot by Imperial Toy LLC which WATCH says could cause eye injuries.
