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Safety experts alarmed by chomping Cabbage Patch Kids

doll December 30, 1996
Web posted at: 11:50 p.m. EST

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Consumer Product Safety Commission stopped short Monday of issuing a warning about Cabbage Patch Snacktime Kids, though officials did issue advice for parents whose children have the doll.

The commission said it received at least 35 complaints about the dolls, which, while designed to "eat" pretend food like plastic french fries and carrots, have been chomping down on children's hair and fingers.

Jose Gomez said his sister got tangled up in her Snacktime Kid. "I thought she was playing, but she was screaming, running all over the place," he said. "So my father grabbed her, and ... he tried to pull the doll and ... the doll had her hair caught and it kept pulling and pulling."

gomez

The commission said parents should warn their children that long hair can get caught in and pulled by the motorized doll's mouth. And parents should show children how to quickly turn the doll off -- pull off its backpack -- where the batteries are contained.

Toymaker Mattel says all the company's products undergo rigorous testing, and company testers could not get the doll to start chewing when only hair was put in its mouth.

The CPSC said it will continue investigating, but at this point, no serious injuries have been reported, and the toy is not being recalled.

Correspondent John Holliman contributed to this report.

 
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