WASHINGTON — Toy-maker Fisher-Price is recalling 83 types of toys — including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters — because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead.

The worldwide recall being announced today involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys made by a Chinese company and sold in the United States between May and August. It is the latest in a wave of recalls that has heightened global concern about the safety of Chinese-made products.

The recall notice does not indicate in which states the toys were sold. Officials at Fisher-Price and the Consumer Product Safety Commission could not be contacted for comment yesterday on whether the toys were sold in Hawai'i.

The recall is the first for Fisher-Price Inc. and parent company Mattel Inc. involving lead paint. It is the largest for Mattel since 1998, when Fisher-Price had to yank about 10 million Power Wheels from toy stores.

David Allmark, general manager of Fisher-Price, told the Associated Press yesterday that the problem was detected by an internal probe and reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall is particularly worrisome since Mattel, known for its strict quality controls, is considered a role model in the toy industry for how it operates in China.

Fisher-Price and the commission issued statements saying parents should keep suspect toys away from children and contact the company.

The commission works with companies to issue recalls when it finds consumer goods that can be harmful. Under current regulations, children's products found to have more than 0.06 percent lead that users might be exposed to are subject to a recall.

Allmark says the recall was "fast-tracked," which allowed the company to quarantine two-thirds of the toys before they even made it to store shelves.

In negotiating the recall, Fisher-Price and the government sought to withhold details from the public until today to give stores time to get suspect toys off shelves and Fisher-Price time to get its recall hot line up and running. However, some news organizations prematurely posted an embargoed version of the story online.

TIGHTENING CONTROLS

Allmark said the recall is troubling because Fisher-Price has had a longstanding relationship with the Chinese vendor that applied decorative paint to the toys. Allmark said the company will use this recall as an opportunity to put even better systems in place to monitor vendors.

He added: "We are still concluding the investigation, how it happened. ... But there will be a dramatic investigation on how this happened. We will learn from this."

The recall follows another high-profile move, from toy maker RC2 Corp., which in June voluntarily recalled 1.5 million wooden railroad toys and set parts from its Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line. The company said the surface paint on certain toys and parts made in China between January 2005 and April 2006 contain lead, affecting 26 components and 23 retailers.

"Anytime a company brings a banned hazardous product into the U.S. marketplace, especially one intended for children, it is unacceptable," said Nancy Nord, acting chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. "Ensuring that Chinese-made toys are safe for U.S. consumers is one of my highest priorities and is the subject of vital talks currently in place between CPSC and the Chinese government."

CHINA SYNDROME

Carter Keithley, president of the Toy Industries Association, praised Mattel's quick response to the problem, and suggested this setback can put the entire industry on higher alert. However, he expressed concern about how the recall and other toy recalls will play out in consumers' minds in advance of the holiday season.

"We are worried about the public feeling," said Keithley, adding that he observed toy companies embracing strict controls during a recent toy safety seminar in China.

"We have thought all along that ... (consumers) can be confident in the products," he said. "But if companies like Mattel have this, then you have to ask how did this happen?"

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., introduced a bill last month that he contends would dramatically expand the product safety commission's ability to protect consumers. In a statement Wednesday night, Durbin also called for better safety standards for products imported from China.

"Sadly, this is the most recent in a series of disturbing recalls of children's toys. While the toys may be different, they have one thing in common — they were manufactured in China," he said. "With the current tools and resources the Consumer Product Safety Commission has, it cannot adequately protect American consumers."