The Toy Association Encourages Families to Keep Toy Safety Top-of-Mind this Holiday

November 23, 2021 | With all eyes on toys this holiday season amid a bottleneck of shipments and expected shortages on shelves, The Toy Association is continuing to remind consumers to exercise their due diligence and not turn to unreputable third-party sellers as they scramble to find toys their children have their hearts set on.

“There's a variety of hazards that can come along with buying a counterfeit product," said Jennifer Gibbons, senior vice president of government affairs at The Toy Association, in a recent interview with News12 New York. “The shortage and more consumers shopping online, and potentially purchasing from online retailer that they are not as familiar with, unfortunately provides this new opportunity for counterfeiters to take advantage of.”

As part of The Toy Association’s efforts to spread the word about safe toy shopping & avoiding counterfeit/imitation toys that have the potential to be unsafe, proper product selection, and safe play at home for “Toy Safety Awareness Month” this November, the Association’s Joan Lawrence, senior vice president of standards and regulatory affairs, and Gibbons have been on the frontlines to educate consumers. To discuss the dangers posed by counterfeits lurking in online marketplaces, Gibbons joined News12 on November 18, while Lawrence shared tips with Fox8 on November 15. Planning is also underway with additional local and national media outlets for future opportunities to engage shoppers with safe toy shopping tips for the holidays.

In addition, The Toy Association has continued to make progress in advocating for the removal of dangerous products from online marketplaces. Most recently, The Toy Association worked with the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Center Association on its holiday guide providing consumers with shopping tips to avoid counterfeit toys and other products. Staff members have also met with consumer watchdogs to join efforts in educating parents on how to avoid buying illegitimate products and continue to work with lawmakers to advance multiple pieces of legislation that will hold illicit sellers and marketplaces accountable. Staff attended a Senate Committee on Judiciary hearing earlier this month, in which, along with member companies, they urged the Committee to support the INFORM Consumers Act and SHOP Safe Act as important legislative steps to combating the problem.

To learn more about The Toy Association’s ongoing advocacy work to protect and promote the toy industry, members are encouraged to reach out to Jennifer Gibbons, vice president of government affairs.