Posted on 07/30/2012 9:35:08 PM PDT by RedCell
Buckyballs, the three-year-old innovative toy company that makes magnetic desk toys for adults, is in the fight of its life. The Obama administration’s Consumer Product Safety Commission has filed a lawsuit to stop the firm from selling its products and to issue a recall of its toys. Several retailers have yanked the magnets, despite the company’s clear warning that Buckyballs and Buckycubes are for adults — not children.
Buckyballs executives have taken to social media and radio airwaves to save the company.
It is up to is parents to ban small magnets from our homes when we have under threes loving there. This is what I did. I tell the older guys they can’t have magnets in the house for at least 2 years.
The entire obsession of this country with safety has become completely childish and foolish.
Life is inherently dangerous and can not be made safe.
If a company puts a clearly unsafe and hazardous product on the market there will be a army of lawyers standing line and wrestling each other to sue the company in to oblivion. .
The CPSC has outlived its usefulness. But then hasn’t most of the Federal Government.
Disappointingly, Amazon reaches the heights of hypocrisy by dropping Bucky Balls while continuing to carry similar small, sharp, easily swallowed magnetic thingies that look like glazier’s points as well as a number of other very similar items that would probably drive the CPSC Nazis to apoplexy. FIE on Amazon! Actually, double FIE on them! Those of you with access to Rush 24/7m be sure to listen to his July 30 interview with the Company’s founder and CEO
I forget to add “FU Bezos”
Well said. Anything, and I mean ANYTHING can be a choking hazard if it’s small enough. Thankfully, my kids weren’t obsessed with jamming things in their mouth other than food (although my son used to get a kick out of knocking my soda can over and watching me jump for the paper towels).
You gotta watch your kids like a hawk. Comes with the territory. I’m pretty sure that’s in the “How to be a Parent” handbook. I wonder if Amazon sells that?
So the Obama admin is just trying to keep us and our children safe?
What a laugh when this stupid ****** is the most dangerous thing America has ever seen.
Impeach him or vote him out but one way or another he has to go!
I actually found some of these bucky balls a while back when I was out cycling. I didn’t know what they were besides little magnetic balls. but they were kinda cool so I saved them in my toolbox, being a tool and die machinist I can sometimes find uses for such things. Now that I know they were meant for a desktoy I’m going to get them out and play around with them a little.
I give this the Simple Profundity Award of the day.
MM
We need a fundamental change in the way that the federal government operates. The consumer product safety commission was charged with going after companies that marketed products which had inherit dangers that were undisclosed. Wooden toys inset with shards of glass, plastic parts painted with lead paint, and axle screws that were incredibly sharp with wheels that fell off in seconds.
But like ANY government program, they quickly ran out of the obvious targets and HAVE to continue to find threats to justify their continued existence.
It's like the air quality management - you've improved the air! You've succeeded! Therefore you must move the goal post so you still have a job!
The thing is, the founding fathers knew this inherit difficulty. What was one of the biggest reasons for the constant and never ending rises in tax stamps in pre-revolutionary times? The rising costs of MANAGING the issuing of the tax stamps themselves. England wasn't picking up that much revenue compared to the lavish (for the times) lifestyle that colonial tax collectors were enjoying.
And let's be honest here - Buckyballs is a great target for the CPSC - you've got documented cases where 'children' have ingested the magnets, where the company KNOWS of the issue, and ALL CAPS WARNINGS are on products pages. There's GOTTA be some parents who are all ready to get teary eyed over paying medical bills for their children's STUPIDITY made even worse when they went online and saw that BIG LOUD WARNING not to stick them in their mouths, yet they STILL DID!
Forget about saving Buckyballs. Let's save the country and disband the CPSC, and every other government commission and board, fire every government drone who is just itching for the next company to destroy to justify their paycheck.
I hate to tell you, but these things do represent a frightening and insidious hazard. The magnets are extremely strong, and if two or more are ingested, they will inevitably clamp together across who knows what organic boundaries, and wreck havoc which can only be remedied by surgical intervention, if it’s detected in time. Spoken as a grandfather, maybe, but these are not your grandfather’s magnets.
Misuse of a product is not a reason to have it banned.
More kids die from choking on jawbreakers, popcorn and hot dog pieces every year, I’d bet.
Let’s ban them.
[I nearly choked on a Crunchberry when I was 5...ban cereal!]
My nephew had some of these, and it put me on edge just handling them. I kept saying, “Make sure you count them!” because you know, God forbid you should lose a couple of them. There’s like a hundred or so of them in a set. Whether they ban them or not, you’re out of your mind to let them into a household which ever entertains young children.
This govt under Obama’s “leadership” has turned into the biggest bunch of asshats we’ve ever seen. They all need to be shown the door and the American idiots who voted Obama in need to grow up.... A lot!!
I hope the Obama nightmare will educate a lot of people on how bad a terrible govt and a lousy, stupid president can be to freedom.
I hate to tell you, but these things do represent a frightening and insidious hazard.
* * *
I try not to be a nanny-stater ... but these small, powerful magnets are indeed a level above your average choking hazard because of the danger they pose. The problem, as Dr. Lew noted, is that if kids swallow two or more of these things, the magnets can clamp together inside the child, pinching various things together that should not be pinched, creating ruptures, tears, and places where gangrene can begin. The REAL problem is that unless you as a parent, grandparent, or caretaker have specifically been TOLD that this can happen, you might not know, and might not realize the danger even after some magnets have been ingested. I only found out about the danger myself when our kids were toddlers. I had no idea at all, until I read about it in a parenting magazine. The child does not have to choke — just swallow a couple of magnets. The danger is worse than many things categorized as poison.
Tell that to all the retarded engineers and tech nerds who love Obama
Thank you. Thank you.
I would most like to thank my parents who raised me in a simple frugal life style necessitated by a single income earned by my self educated father and my penny pinching mother.
Secondly I would thank my 7 sisters and brothers showered me with love and harassment. This toughened me up and taught me independence.
One thing that big families learn quickly is that you don’t need government you need family.
Started with Gibson Guitars.
I respect your opinion, but Life is an insidious hazard. I bet that nobody lives through it!
The fact is that children under three, and even some older children and adults, put things in their mouths. The way to combat this is to be a responsible person and child proof your house as much as you can.
What about Lego's. They are extremely hazardous and pose an extreme choking hazard. They are marketed to children ages four to adulthood. Many of these children have infant and toddler siblings. Should they be banned? Or should their parents train the older children to only play with the toys AWAY from the toddlers? They are certainly worse since a child dead from choking on LEGOS has NO surgical solution beyond embalming. At least with the consumption of these balls a potential life saving surgery can be performed.
Electricity is incredibly dangerous. Children, like pets are known to gnaw on wires with their little bitey teeth. Should people who procreate be banned from the grid as protection against the evil extension cord?
Cars may be the most dangerous mass marketed product of all. Tens of thousands of people including thousands of infants and toddlers are killed every years by these monsters, Perhaps they should be banned as well? These are part and parcel of the insanity of the all intrusive government. The toy is manufactured, marketed and intended FOR OLDER CHILDREN AND ADULTS. They are the ones responsible for the children, NOT the government.
I keep thinking of Irwin Mainway.
Not remotely comparable. Have you ever handled one of these Bucky things? They can pinch your fingers. It's like jaws snapping.
This is something the government, PARTICULARLY the Federal Government has NO place. They are simply bureaucrats looking to justify their existence.Crying the constant verbiage of the Left 'it's for the good of the children' (At least those who survived the womb. The most dangerous place for an American child)
I am certain that more children die yearly from all manner of things impossible to regulate.
This is the problem with a nanny state. They can never stop trying to protect you from yourself. LIFE IS DANGEROUS. It is deadly. No amount of regulation can change that. after all we claim to live in a free society. Sometimes personal freedom causes your own or a loved ones injury. That is the flip side of all the positives surrounding freedom.
This is something the government, PARTICULARLY the Federal Government has NO place. They are simply bureaucrats looking to justify their existence.Crying the constant verbiage of the Left 'it's for the good of the children' (At least those who survived the womb. The most dangerous place for an American child)
I am certain that more children die yearly from all manner of things impossible to regulate.
This is the problem with a nanny state. They can never stop trying to protect you from yourself. LIFE IS DANGEROUS. It is deadly. No amount of regulation can change that. after all we claim to live in a free society. Sometimes personal freedom causes your own or a loved ones injury. That is the flip side of all the positives surrounding freedom.
Consumer Product Safety Commission, a panel of 5 people, rules over 314,000,000 people?
What’s a dictatorship look like anyway?
I’m lucky to own an illegal set of Jarts. If you want to see crazy bureaucrats read up on the banning of Jarts.
The CPSC just like the newly instituted Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wasn’t ever necessary. The market clears bad actors and finds some balance. Fraud is covered by torts and class action suits.
There are always risks inherent in freedom and there will always be bad guys. The history of regulation shows that eventually the regulated control the regulators. Look at Wall Street.
Had we had zero regulation of Wall Street the current crisis wouldn’t have happened. Trust is a commodity. Smart people trade in it. That said, we need a series of simple, clear as day rules like Glass-Steagall to govern everyday life and transactions. Then Congress can retire for ten years.
Too much meddling harms people.
Please don’t tell supporters of the ban about sharp kitchen knives! They are already in every home but apparently because irresponsible adults may allow kids access we should get rid.
Madness.
I did play Jarts a few times with family friends when I was a kid.
My home is full of things that would be frightening hazard to toddlers and small children. Do you think all of those items should be banned?
Sit all day, watch infotainment about the elite, eat mush, and die. Liberal heaven is hell!
Thanks for the kind words. Your son seems to have a great sense of impish humor. May he never lose it.
I realized that my comments could sound as if I were advocating a ban on the sale of these little glazier point magnetic thingies and similar but I wasn’t. I think it’s the same illogical nonsense as regulating the weapon rather than the person using it.
What the CPSC is doing sounds like very selective big government persecution of a private company for specious (political?) reasons. I find that scary as Hell.
They can have my balls when they pry them from my cold, dead, ... ah ... hands. Time to order a few more sets of BuckBalls.
I'm glad you try not to be a nanny-stater.Perhaps you should try harder.
The solution is to keep these things away from small children, much like we do many dangerous things like razor blades, poisons, and any number of other things.
These are NOT kids toys. The packaging clearly states that many times. Are we to remove this product from the market because some folks can't be bothered to read the clear all-caps warning labels screaming at them?
I have 12 sets sitting my my desk. I can build amazing things with them, including some really intricate shapes that you wouldn't think would be possible if you just looked at the finished product. They've never harmed me. That's because I'm an adult playing with an adult toy. How many kids die from riding bicycles every year? A heck of a lot more than have been harmed by BuckyBalls.
Next up will be the coin-cell batteries. Eat a hole in your innards.
Cereal killer!
Okay girlfriend....time to trot out that hilarious bubble wrap and gruel thing....:D
Even though they didn’t come with warning labels I would let kids play with my ball pythons but not my boas.
Common sense is cool.
Har!
:D
I have one set of these, and have been meaning to buy some more so I can make bigger projects. I decided I better order them right away, in case big brother ends up banning them.
I checked a few places that normally sell them; they are no longer listed. The CPSC has indeed scared away a bunch of resellers. But they are still available directly from the buckyballs web site.
I searched for coupon codes and found a very good one at www.retailmenot.com. 45% off my entire order, which is nice since these are fairly expensive.
I haven’t read the warning on the packaging, so perhaps it does spell out the real danger. But the real danger is *not* choking (any more than any other small toy), but the magnets clamping down on internal organs. This danger is NOT as well known as it should be. If the packaging does not spell out the true danger in exquisite detail, then it ought to.
You are right, magnets, especially small strong ones, are very dangerous to young children. They can block the small intestine if two or more are swallowed a few minutes apart.
From the package:
“Keep Away From All Children!
Do not put in nose or mouth.
Swallowed magnets can stick to
intestines causing serious injury or death.
Seek immediate medical attention if
magnets are swallowed or inhaled.”
That warning is on:
the top of the outer package, the top and side of the inner package (both visible through the transparent outer package), and the storage/carrying case.
Similar warnings are on nearly every page of their web site.
These are the conditions the company puts on their retailers:
Maxfield and Oberton (M&O) will not in any way market or promote Buckyballs or Buckycubes for children (defined by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission as persons under 14 years of age), nor permit its retailers to do so. Buckyballs and Buckycubes must be marketed exclusively as adult products and in a manner consistent with that audience.
M&O will not knowingly sell to or accept orders for Buckyballs from retailers unless the retailer carries a sufficient percentage of products intended for adults, segregates its advertising and displays of children’s products from adult products, and advertises and displays Buckyballs exclusively in the adult product section. Retailers are also urged to train their employees regarding these restrictions.
Buckyballs & Buckycubes will prominently display the provided warning in the language appropriate to the market where sold.
M&O will conduct a detailed credentials check of every new account. As necessary, a signed and approved Responsible Seller Agreement will be required to determine if an account is an appropriate place for Buckyballs and Buckycubes to be sold and to outline appropriate sales and marketing requirements. M&O will re-evaluate every account at least every 12 months to be sure that retailer continues to meets the criteria of the Responsible Seller Agreement.
Responsible Seller Notices, meant to reinforce the appropriate way to market Buckyballs and Buckycubes, are provided with every order sent to retailers.
Periodic reminders will be provided to retailers and sales reps of M&O’s safety policies.
Shipments of Buckyballs and Buckycubes include a warning label on the outer carton, a list of selling instructions inside the carton, and 3 warning labels on the consumer packaging, 1 on the product carrying case and 1 warning on the instructions.
The safety section of the company’s web site:
http://www.getbuckyballs.com/safety/
You need 3 sets for larger projects. Be aware, the balls do ‘wear out’, in that the chrome will eventually wear from the poles. When that happens, I normally retire those balls, so it’s good to have a spare set available for replacements. The wife gave the go ahead to buy a few more sets today. WooHoo!
Amen, Pontiac.
MM
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