Posted on: Tuesday, December 11, 2001
Group lists toys it says can worsen Sept. 11 fears
By Amy Strahan Butler
Bloomberg News
WASHINGTON — Hasbro Inc. and Mattel Corp. action figures were listed as too aggressive for children by a parents' group opposed to so-called violent play on its annual "Dirty Dozen" list.
The Lion & Lamb Project, a parents' group that is lobbying lawmakers to create government ratings for movies, music, video games and television, included toys featuring plastic weapons and labels encouraging youngsters to "Customize and pulverize!" on its list of 12 too-violent toys marketed to children and teenagers.
Mattel's "Rock Em Sock Em Robots" and Hasbro's "Zoids" series both made the list for toys that came with plastic weapons and shoot-'em-up storylines. Activision, Inc.'s re-release of the popular video game "Doom," now marketed to teens, also drew criticism from the group.
"When parents buy a gift that promotes violent behavior, they are sending a message to their children," said Daphne White, executive director of the Lion & Lamb Project, in a statement. "In this time, when peace on earth is more important than ever, we can take advantage of this opportunity to teach our children those values that we as adults cherish."
A video game by Bandai Co. based on the "Power Rangers" television program was also put on the list because it encourages children aged four and over to "punch and kick to control the action" in their efforts to "defeat the evil Cyclobot."
The Toy Industry Association, which represents Hasbro and Mattel, among others, says play with toy weapons and the like doesn't bring out violent behavior in children.
"I find little to support the extreme anti-war-toy position of some parents who ban any kind of war play in their home," says a paper by Peter K. Smith, a developmental psychologist at Sheffield University in Britain, cited by the industry as evidence that toys don't cause aggression.
Toys that garnered good ratings from the group included Manhattan Toys' "Handy Work Puppets," The Learning Company's "Zoombinis Mountain Rescue" and HearthSong's "Rainbowland."
