Importer of victim toys heeds protest

Press, 1 December 1987, Page 9

Importer of victim toys heeds protest

PA Wellington A big importer of victim toys has decided against further imports of the so-called “toy nasties” in 1988 as a result of a strong complaint by the Plunket Society. Lincoln Marketing, the importer of Smack Ups — toys which depict children bearing gruesome injuries from skateboard accidents, said it has made its decision because of its “extremely high regard” for the work of Plunket. But the managing director, Mr W. J. Prior, said that he did not agree with Plunket’s contention that Smack Ups were an “offensive and inappropriate” way to deal with the prevention of childhood accidents. In a letter to Plunket’s

vice-president, Mrs Lois McNaughton, Mr Prior said that his company had a great concern for child safety and felt that Smack Ups showed the hazards of careless use of skateboards. Mrs McNaughton said that while Plunket and Lincoln would have to “agree to disagree” on the philosophical values of victim toys she was delighted with Lincoln’s decision. "We will now turn our attention to joining the lobby against other toy nasties including Victor Vomit, whose breath smells of vomit, Cracked Carmen, who has her brains spilling from a split in the head, and a baby who lives in a rubbish tin and is black-eyed, bruised and bleeding.