Boycott Mattel

Posted on September 7, 2007
by Maureen Keene

Mattel CEO Robert Eckert made the rounds of morning news shows after the first major Mattel recall of the summer basically saying “mistakes were made,” and clearly consumers were not going to hold a little lead paint against him.  Mattel’s stock (MAT) barely reacted.  (Note the major cultural difference between Eckert’s very typical American publicly-repent-and-all-shall-be-forgiven PR tactic versus the response of Cheung Shu-hung, the head of the Chinese company responsible for the lead paint, who committed suicide because he had lost face.)

After the second — and perhaps even the third — recall, I’m betting most American consumers would likely keep on buying Mattel and subsidiary Fisher-Price toys.  The holidays are looming and, after all, Mr. Eckert did apologize and it appears the company is stepping up safety testing.

However, Mr. Eckert’s canned “I’m a parent too” pleadings notwithstanding, one thing consumers cannot and should not forgive is an above-the-law attitude on the part of corporations and CEOs.   Mr. Eckert does not agree with CPSC regulations.  It is “unreasonable” —  in his opinion — to report a safety hazard to the agency within 24 hours of discovery.  No, it’s better to wait years and years and collect hundreds of consumer complaints first, while in the meantime overheated ride-on cars set peoples’ homes ablaze and children suck on IQ-depleting lead-leaden toys.  This flouting of government regulations is not acceptable, not forgivable and consumers need to communicate that to Mattel loud and clear.   A boycott is in order.

A Mattel boycott means no Barbies, no Matchbox cars, and… no Elmo.  And as the mother of a toddler, believe me, I did not want it to come to this.  But, I am relieved to say that I am not the first in the blogosphere to suggest a boycott.  A post on seniorcitizen.com urges readers not to purchase Mattel products:

If you thought the chutzpah of U.S. corporations in regard to the Consumer Product Safety Commission was limited to the ATV industry, then strap yourself into a hot wheel and sit back for a scary ride into the bowels of greedy capitalism. Robert Eckert, the Chairman and CEO of Mattel really doesn’t care what the Commission says when it comes to reporting safety violations. Get a load of this reckless statement: “Robert Eckert said in an interview that the company discloses problems on its own timetable because it believes both the law and the commission’s enforcement practices are unreasonable. Mattel said it should be able to evaluate hazards internally before alerting any outsiders, regardless of what the law says.”

Got that. Mattel thinks they should be their own enforcer when it comes to product safety. The hell with what the Commission says. Hey Robert, guess what, who needs your lousy toys! Our advice: boycott Mattel toys. Don’t buy them for your grandkids, friends or extended family. With a friend like Robert, who needs to stand in the road to get run over. Big Bob will get the job done in the name of Mattel’s bottom line.

There are some fiesty seniors blogging out there!  (Of course, they probably don’t have to live with the disappointed children either.)  Kudos to you, Anonymous Senior Blogger — I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Please let Robert Eckert and Mattel’s Board of Directors know that you will not buy any Mattel products until the company makes a public statement that it will fully comply with government safety regulations by signing this petition. 

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