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Hundreds of fake squishy toys seized from shops

Angela FergusonNorth West
Lancashire County Council A green squishy ball with a light green and darker green swirly pattern, circular black eyes, a black curved line for a mouth and pink circles for cheeks is in a mini plastic container made to look like a bamboo steamer. The packaging for the illegal toy, placed next to it, and also on a larger box of stock behind it, has writing including 'Rainbow mystery', 'Squishy bun', 'One set sugar edition' and 'will you find the super rare golden glitter dumpling?!' on it, with colourful cartoon images of toy squishy buns.Lancashire County Council
These squishy toys - made to look like steamed buns - are among those removed from sale by Trading Standards officers in Lancashire

Hundreds of potentially dangerous counterfeit toys have been pulled from shop shelves in a county, after worried parents complained of their "sticky texture" and "strong chemical smells".

Trading Standards removed 200 illegal toys from sale in Lancashire over a two-week period, with buyers being warned to beware snapping up "a bargain".

The toys, taken off the shelves in May, were found to be non-compliant as they were not correctly labelled with a UK supplier's name and address, Lancashire County Council said.

Many of the toys look like food, such as jelly cubes, butter blocks or steamed buns, which could be a choking or ingestion hazard for small children.

Councillor Joshua Roberts said: "It is vital that consumers are careful when they buy these popular sensory toys, that the toys are safe and that they are buying the genuine product.

"As they are often cheaper than the genuine versions, they might seem like a bargain, and they can be very tempting.

"However, they can be dangerous as they have not been manufactured in accordance with stringent toy safety legislation."

Roberts also called on businesses to "be vigilant and ensure that the toys they are selling are genuine and safe".

Lancashire County Council A photo taken from above shows a green squishy ball with a light green and darker green swirly pattern, circular black eyes, a black curved line for a mouth and pink circles for cheeks. It is in a mini plastic container made to look like a bamboo steamer, with the plastic lid next to it. The packaging for the illegal toy, placed next to it, and also on a larger box of stock behind it, has writing including 'Rainbow mystery', 'Squishy bun', 'what color will get?', 'One set sugar edition' and 'will you find the super rare golden glitter dumpling?!' on it, with colourful cartoon images of toy squishy buns.Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council's Trading Standards issued a warning about the squishy sensory toys

Lancashire County Council said reports had been received nationally of similar toys containing high levels of volatile organic compounds, including benzene, a toxic and carcinogenic chemical which has a maximum legally permitted concentration level in toys of 5 mg/kg (0.0005%).

Trading Standards encouraged customers and businesses to do safety checks on any toys, including:

  • Inspect packaging carefully to find a UKCA or CE mark
  • Make sure the product bears the name and address of a UK-based importer or manufacturer
  • Check if warnings and usage instructions are present

If any of the above is missing, then it is likely that the toy has not been subject to the required safety testing, the council said.

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