Verrecchia

Hasbro Inc., of Pawtucket, will run newspaper ads starting today trying to separate itself from the lead-paint recalls that have plagued Mattel Inc., its biggest competitor, and other toymakers this year.

The companies have scrambled throughout the year to stanch the flow of bad publicity stemming from repeated recalls of faulty products that pose hazards to children, including toys tainted by lead paint, some that include easily swallowable magnets and others containing a chemical that converts into a “date rape” drug when ingested.

“There’s no doubt it rocked the industry,” said David Katzner, president of the National Parenting Center, a nonprofit group that acts as an information clearinghouse for people with children.

The safety issues have prompted consumer advocacy groups and even a leading toy industry group, the Toy Industry Association, to ask Congress to make toy testing mandatory. Currently, there are at least three proposals in Congress that would tighten safety standards and would beef up the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which has primary oversight over the industry’s products.

Mattel, the company that took the hardest hit to its reputation, along with other manufacturers and even retailers reinvigorated and reinvented their testing procedures.

Hasbro this summer began stressing how it tests toys coming from China. As more toymakers reported problems with lead paint showing up on products, Hasbro said its toys would undergo rigorous testing to ensure that the paint used to make its toys is safe.

“We know everyone is being very vigilant about their testing,” Katzner said. “It has sort of staunched the flow of these” recalls.

The Hasbro ads this week come as parents in the U.S. and elsewhere are looking for the toys at the top of children’s Christmas wish lists.

“This is it for toy companies,” Katzner said, referring to the holiday sales rush.

Hasbro this year did recall 1 million Easy-Bake Ovens because kids’ hands were getting caught in an opening. But what effect its lead-paint ads will have on the financial prospects for the company, the nation’s second-largest toymaker, or other toy manufacturers this season is unclear. Opinions vary among industry observers, but they surmise that Hasbro is confident it won’t find any lead-paint problems with its toys and games.

Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of Toy Wishes, told the Associated Press the ad is a “statement of confidence” on Hasbro’s part.

Instead of “ho ho ho,” the ads may be greeted by a “ho-hum” from people who’ve kept abreast of the lead-paint issue, said independent toy analyst Chris Byrne.

The topic even came up yesterday when Hasbro president and chief executive Alfred J. Verrecchia took part in an online chat sponsored by his alma mater, the University of Rhode Island. The first question posed to Verrecchia, who graduated from URI in 1967, came from someone wanting to know about the company’s testing procedures.

“We believe that our high standards and robust testing and inspection process have allowed Hasbro to avoid any of the lead paint recalls. People should feel good about buying Hasbro products this holiday season,” Verrecchia responded.

“It’s nice to reassure people — but shopping this time of year is very often about wish fulfillment,” Bryne said. “If you’ve got a child under seven in your house, probably the only country of origin you care about is the North Pole.”

Those wishes that get answered and those that don’t this year may have more to do with factors separate from safety concerns, he said.

“What’s affecting toy sales isn’t lead, it’s because gas is $3.15 a gallon,” Bryne said.

pgrimald@projo.com