Jake McKee has found an example of corporate stupidity that defies belief. Ty Inc. a toy maker most famous for its Beanie Babie line, were recently banned by the state of Illinois from selling a range of their dolls after it emerged these dolls exceeded Illinois limits on lead content.
Rather than issuing an apology and taking the usual crisis communication measures, they challenged the law. They argued national law takes precedence over Illinois.
It's difficult to say anything more than how stupid of a PR move this is. Especially for such a volatile issue in a sensitive industry.
Andy Sernovitz now reports the company is responding to pressure to remove it's toys. However, as Andy comments, "..that doesn't change the fact that TY was willing to use a legal loophole to sell tainted toys to children".
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