A Big W shopper has issued an urgent warning to others after discovering her son’s toy pig on fire at her home.
The New South Wales mother alerted other parents to the issue on a Big W fan Facebook page after she discovered the cause of a “slight burning smell” she had noticed in her home, but couldn’t explain before.
“For the last couple of days, I’ve been smelling a faint odor, but I can’t for the life of me find it,” he wrote. “Well, my son found it this morning. Slowly over time, it seems to melt on top of the battery pack.” He said his post was to warn other parents who also own the Little Live Pets My Pet Pig toy.
Sharing an image on her warning post, the mother showed a burnt patch on the toy’s back that felt “gooey and melted”. Once the burned area was removed, the battery pack underneath was revealed.
More than 600 comments were made on the post from other concerned parents, many of whom said they also own the popular toy, which is also available at Kmart and Amazon.
‘It happened to us too’
His face-to-face warning saw dozens of other parents investigate whether their toys at home had a similar issue. Within two days, several others said they realized the same thing had happened to their toy.
“Thank you for this post. I just looked for my son’s and it looks just like him. I’m going to remove the battery and put it away because I’m sure it will be remembered,” another mom wrote, adding that their toy is about one and a half to two years old.
“I just went and checked on my son and I noticed this dark mark on his back under the skin, is this the same for anyone else? I checked the batteries and the inside looks fine but the top looks bad- suspicion after seeing this post and where it got burned,” commented another.
“Just go and look at Miss 3’s piggy… OMG, it’s doing the same thing. We ALL need to contact Big W so everyone is aware,” advised another. An alarming number of concerned mothers also commented saying they had discovered a black discolored spot on their child’s toy in the same spot.
Another mother added that the pig version of the toy wasn’t the only one that had an issue with her daughter’s toy from the Pet’s Alive range having a similar problem. “My daughter had a small live pet chameleon and it did the same thing within 8 months of buying it,” she said.
Hundreds of other mothers praised the original mother for speaking out saying the dangerous toy needed to be reported. “Holy moly thank god you posted this. You opened a can of worms. And potentially save lives!” said one.
Several mothers said they contacted toy manufacturer Moose Toys and received a response saying they were investigating. The response said the potential issue “appears to be related to corrosion of the capacitive sensor” not the battery itself. The toy has not been recalled with the company adding that they see “no risk of injury”, but advising consumers to return the toy if they are concerned.
Manufacturer says ‘no evidence of burning or melting’
A spokesperson for Moose Toys told Yahoo News Australia that the safety of their customers is their “top priority”.
“Before being sold, this product is extensively tested, and passes all relevant safety tests,” the spokesperson said. “After reviewing the posts on the Big W Mums page, our Quality Team carried out further extensive testing and found no evidence of burning or melting.
“Our analysis shows that the discoloration is due to rusting of the copper used in the touch sensor on the pigs’ backs and general wear and tear, causing the pigs’ skin to darken and soften.” They confirmed that the issue is not related to the battery or electrical components and does not pose a safety risk.
They say the popular toy has been sold more than 1.8 million times worldwide in the past three years, with Moose Toys only recently becoming aware of the issue. The findings from the toy investigation will also be considered in the design of future products.
Big W responds to moms’ concerns
Big W told Yahoo that they are aware of the issue and have confirmed that the manufacturer, Moose Toys, has completed an investigation into the toy.
“At Big W the safety of our customers is our priority and we have worked with the supplier to investigate the issue affecting some of the Little Live Pet Pigs toys,” a Big W spokesperson said.
“It has been determined that there is currently no risk of product damage however if customers wish to return the product they can do so at their local Big W store with their proof of purchase.”
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