Toys

Toys are objects made as playthings for children, from stuffed animals to games and puzzles. In the US, anything sold as a toy for a child under 14 must meet a federal safety standard, so read the age grade first.

How to choose Toys

  • Age grade. The age on the box is a safety rating. Under 3, a toy must pass the federal small parts test; from 3 to under 6, small parts need a printed warning.
  • Small balls. A ball that passes through a 1.75 inch hole counts as a small ball. One sold by itself for ages 3 and up, or a toy holding one for ages 3 to under 8, needs a warning.
  • Balloons. Any toy or game that includes a latex balloon must carry a cautionary statement.

About Toys

Toys, under US rules, are objects designed, made or marketed as playthings for children under 14. A standard known as ASTM F963 became mandatory for them under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.

Products made mainly for children 12 and younger must be tested at a lab the CPSC has accepted, and the maker or importer issues a certificate saying they pass. Toys aimed at 13-year-olds still fall under the standard but can skip the outside lab.

Before handing over a stuffed toy, take off the hang tag and any plastic, and look over the seams, eyes and nose. Surface wash plush with a damp cloth unless the sewn label allows the machine.

At a glance

Also called
Playthings, plush, stuffed animals
Label terms
Age grade, small parts, CHOKING HAZARD
Common packing
Boxes, tins, hang tags

Toys questions

What does a CHOKING HAZARD warning on a toy mean?

It means the toy has a small part, a small ball, a marble or a latex balloon that a young child could choke on. Toys with small parts sold for ages 3 to under 6 must carry it, under the signal word WARNING. Treat the age on the box as a floor, especially when a younger brother or sister shares the toys.

Are stuffed animals with plastic eyes safe for a baby?

Plush sold for children under 3 may not have any piece small enough to fit the federal small parts cylinder, which is sized like a young child's throat. The rule also counts pieces that break off in lab tests that copy rough play, so a loose eye or nose fails just like a loose bead. A plush graded for older children can have them, so match the age grade to the child.

Why is it called a teddy bear?

On November 14, 1902, Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear during a hunt near Onward, Mississippi. The political cartoonist Clifford Berryman drew the scene, and Brooklyn candy shop owner Morris Michtom made a stuffed bear in response. He called it Teddy's Bear, after the president's nickname.

Sources: US Consumer Product Safety Commission; Electronic Code of Federal Regulations; National Park Service.

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