Company recalls 9/11 toy

2004-08-27 20:59

Miami - Small toys showing an aircraft flying into the World Trade Centre were packed inside more than 14 000 bags of candy and sent to small groceries around the United States before being recalled.

Lisy Corp, the wholesaler that distributed the sweets, said Friday the toys were bought in bulk from a Miami-based import company.

The toys came in an assortment purchased sight unseen from L&M Import in Miami and included the toys depicting the September 11 2001 attack on the twin towers, whistles and other small toys, said Luis Pedron, Lisy's national sales manager. The invoice said the toy was a plastic swing set.

"I hate to blame the importer. He probably did not know what he was getting. He brings them in 13m containers. But whoever made it knew exactly what they were making," Pedron said.

Pedron said Lisy did not notice the small plastic figurines until two people complained, but there is no mistaking what the toys represent: At the bottom of each is the product number 9011.

"When we found out what had happened, we recalled them immediately," said Pedron, who said the toys did not reflect the company's view: "I was offended by them."

The company's 100 distributors sent out the sweet packets. Most were sold to small Hispanic groceries, Pedron said. He estimated about 90% of the packets had been collected.

Anna Rodriguez, who bought a bag of the candy for her grandson, said she was stunned when she saw the toy.

"It makes me angry," she told television station WFTV.

"I was offended because I couldn't believe that someone would give something like that to a kid."

Pedron said he was saving the toys to return to the distributor.

A woman who answered the telephone at L&M and refused to give her name said on Friday she did not know anything about the toy.

- AP