10 Toys to Avoid Gifting This Holiday Season

The holiday shopping season is upon us, but while you shop for the little ones in your life there are some toys that you may want to avoid gifting.

“Tis the season for giving,” as they say, but what if what you’re giving cold be dangerous? That’s the question that W.A.T.C.H. (World Against Toys Causing Harm, inc.) asks every year when it compiles its annual “10 worst toys” list.

This year there are some nominees that you may be surprised to see, and some that you may not, due to the clear potential for causing harm.

Scroll down to check out the list.

NICKELODEON NELLA PRINCESS KNIGHT PILLOW PETS SLEEPTIME LITES

Pillow Pets have always seemed harmless enough, but W.A.T.C.H. cites this particular ones as having a dangerously misleading ad campaign.

“Marketed for infants as a nightlight for baby’s room,
remarkably the package cautions that the product is “not intended” for use in a crib,” the group states.

“Nella is adorned with small, felt-like flower and heart-tag accessories which, if removed, present potential ingestion hazards,” they add. “Additionally, the manufacturer identifies a ‘battery acid leakage’ hazard.

NERF VORTEX VTX PRAXIS BLASTER

As with most NERF toys, the biggest danger here is that a child could hurt their eye. However, the biggest concern here seems to be that this particular NERF gun shoots discs rather than soft Styrofoam darts.

“Children as young as eight-years-old are invited to load the supplied ammunition and ‘fire 10 discs in a row with pump-action blasting!.’ ” W.A.T.C.H. says. “The launch-force of the discs presents the potential for eye and facial injuries.”

MARVEL BLACK PANTHER SLASH CLAW

Black Panther is the biggest movie of the year, with a total box office revenue of $700,059,566 catapulting it to the number one spot.

However, W.A.T.C.H. takes issue with a costume-related toy form the film, saying that the “rigid, plastic claws” glove toy is “sold to five-year-olds to ‘slash’ like the Black Panther, while simultaneously
advising not to ‘hit or swing at people.…’ “

POWER RANGERS SUPER NINJA STEEL SUPERSTAR BLADE

The Power Rangers never seem to go out of style, as the franchise has been going strong since the early ’90s.

This year, Bandai is pushing a Power Rangers sword as one of their big items, but W.A.T.C.H. feels like it might be too dangerous for children to play with.

“Young children are encouraged to ‘power up’ with this ‘Super Ninja
Steel’ spring-loaded plastic blade, with the potential to cause facial and other impact injuries,” the group says of the toy.

CABBAGE PATCH KIDS DANCE TIME DOLL

Cabbage Patch kids are another line of products that you would not imagine could be dangerous for kids, but W.A.T.C.H. says that the Dance Time Cabbage Patch Kids doll could be.

According to the group, the dolls “are sold with a ‘removable’ headband, which can be ingested.”

ZOO JAMZ XYLOPHONE

If you are shopping for very young children this holiday season, W.A.T.C.H. warms that you be cautious of the Zoo Jamz Xylophone.

T”his multi-colored, caterpillar-themed instrument is sold for babies as young as 1 ½ years old,” the group explains.

“The manufacturer provides no warnings regarding the slender, rigid, approximately 9-inch-long drumstick handle, which can potentially be mouthed and occlude a child’s airway,” they add.

NICI WONDERLAND DOLL: MINICLARA THE BALLERINA

Another doll that W.A.T.C.H. wants to warn parents about is is the The Miniclara ballerina doll, which they say is “marketed for oral-age children as young as 2-years-old.”

The issue, they feel, is with the “little kitten” friend that comes with the doll as an “accessory.”

“The soft, plush kitten, however, can detach, posing the potential for choking if ingested,” W.A.T.C.H. states.

STOMP ROCKET ULTRA ROCKET

Seeing the Stomp Rocket on a dangerous toys list probably comes as little surprise, as W.A.T.C.H. confirms that the worry with this toy is that it could cause damage to eyes or face.

“6-year-old children are advised to ‘Run. Jump. Stomp!’ in order to
launch a rocket ‘up to 200 FEET!,’ ” the groups says, adding, “Many warnings appear on the package and package inset, in an effort to ‘prevent serious eye or face injuries.…’ “

CUTTING FRUIT

The Cutting Fruit playset comes with a knife, which is not technically real, but is still concerning to W.A.T.C.H. anyway for a very good reason.

“The magnetic apple, pear and orange are sold with a ‘slicing knife’ made of hard plastic,” the group reveals. “The knife can potentially cause puncture wounds and other blunt trauma injuries.”

CHIEN Á PROMENER PULL ALONG DOG

The last nominee on the W.A.T.C.H. list of dangerous toys for 2018 is a pull-along dog.

“Despite the industry’s standard requiring strings on playpen and crib
toys to be less than 12 inches in length, manufacturers are still permitted to market ‘pull toys’ such as ‘Pull Along Dog’ with a cord measuring approximately 19 inches,” the group stats.

They go on to explain that with this toy “no warnings are provided.”