As the Christmas season nears, a non-government organization raised the alarm against selling toys inspired by the popular anime “Naruto” for safety hazard concerns.
EcoWaste Coalition on Monday said it is “concerning” to see toys imitating knives and ninja weapons — including kunai (daggers), shuriken (throwing stars) and tanto (swords) — being cheaply sold, especially near school vicinities.
Kunai, shuriken and tanto are among the weapons featured in the anime, which follows the story of a young ninja named Naruto Uzumaki striving to become the strongest among them in his village.
The group said that these kinds of anime-inspired toys have “sharp edges and points” which could result in cuts and lacerations, as well as eye injuries, among children.
“Local government, health and police authorities should stop the sale of these toys and not wait for accidents and injuries involving young children to happen,” Aileen Lucero, EcoWaste Coalition’s national coordinator, said in a release.
The group added that the toys are being sold near private and public elementary schools, wholesalers in Binondo, Manila and through online toy dealers.
It said that they do not have certificates of product notification issued by the Food and Drug Administration.
Moreover, the group said that the toys are not compliant with the mandatory labeling requirements under the Toy and Game Safety Labeling Act.
The FDA has warned that using unnotified toys and childcare articles, which have not gone through the agency’s notification process, may pose health risks to consumers.
“The use of substandard and possibly adulterated toy and childcare article products may result in health risks including, but not limited to, endocrine disruption and reproductive or development effects; or may result in injury, choking or suffocation due to its small or broken parts,” the regulatory body said.
