NORWOOD, Mass., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- This time of year, everyone is an "expert" - and a critic.

This week, W.A.T.C.H. (World Against Toys Causing Harm), a Massachusetts non-profit corporation, announced its annual 10 "Worst Toys" list for 2009, designed to highlight toys with the potential to cause childhood injuries. Toy State's CAT Rugged Mini front end loader was included.

The organization claims that if the wheel from the toy is pulled off, the exposed axle poses a potential puncture wound issue.

While W.A.T.C.H. claims that this is a potential problem, it does not state that this issue has ever presented itself in the market. "We are baffled by this organization's claim, since all our toys go through extensive testing before shipping," said Will Coleburn, Toy State senior vice president.

Toy State adheres to all U.S. and European government safety regulations, including the most important, ASTM and EN-71.

"In fact," Coleburn continued, "Toy State exceeds all government safety standards. For example, ASTM requires pull testing (a way of identifying when components may separate) at 15 lbs., we test to 29 lbs., almost twice the requirement."

Toy State has a reputation for high-quality toys. In an industry with a defective rate near 5%, Toy State's is less than 0.5%. Most importantly, Toy State has never had a safety recall in its 21-year history.

The CAT Rugged Mini is available at Toys "R" Us, Walmart and Kmart.

Toy State

Toy State International is a leading toy company based in Hong Kong with US offices in Norwood, MA. Toy State is the industry leader in Lights and Sounds cars, trucks and construction machines with brands that include Road Rippers, CAT and CAT Preschool.

SOURCE Toy State International

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