Not All Magnetic Toys Are Dangerous: SuperMag vs Magnetix
March 28, 2007 by Lei
Filed under Children's Toys, News and Links about Children's Things, Product Recalls
PlastWood, an Italian toy manufacturer of SuperMag magnetic toys, is blaming MEGA Brands and subsidiary Rose Art for “ruining the magnetic toy market” because so many children have been injured from swallowing Magnetix magnetic balls and other parts (over 70 parents have shared their experiences here at Play Library). They claim that SuperMag toys have always been safe but their reputation was tarnished by poorly made Magnetix. PlastWood is suing MEGA Brands and Rose Art for economic loss since so many of their buyers cancelled orders of magnetic toys regardless of brand.
Nick Styant-Browne, the attorney with Seattle-based Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro representing Plastwood:
In our investigation, we have found that many big retailers are continuing to market the old toys alongside the redesigned ostensibly safer version. We contend that had Rose Art designed a safer product, and advertised it accurately, the magnetic toy market would not have collapsed.
I can sympathize with PlastWood since many kinds of toys are dangerous when ingested. But the fact remains that magnetic toys are considerably more dangerous because if more than one magnetic ball or part is swallowed, they can stick together in the intestines and cause perforations or other problems that require surgery. It’s curious, however, that so many children have swallowed magnetic toys and I wonder how many toys in general are swallowed on average and whether magnetic toys account for a large or small percentage.
The most basic question is: Why are children swallowing magnetic balls? One mother left a comment here at Play Library saying:
My son never puts things in his mouth, he came immediately to me crying and saying he was so sorry but he had just swallowed a ball. He said he wanted to know how it would feel in his mouth. The truth is they are shiny and weighted in such a way that they are enticing to children.
Would you or do you let your kids play with magnetic toys like Magnetix or SuperMag?
Tags: magnetic, magnetic balls, magnetic toys, magnetix, supermag, mega, rose art, plastwood, danger, children, kids, toys, games, family, parenting , magnets
I wouldn’t, and I’m surprised each week when we go to Michael’s and I still see the wall of Magnetix toys on the shelf.
balls aren’t neither magnetic nor dangerous if swallowed (it’s nickel-plated steel). You simply have to check that it comes out…
Supermag doesn’t include any magnetic ball, only magnetic rods that are used on building sets together with metal spheres.
This show that whoever talk about magnetic balls never saw the real product and they are creating false claims.
This is a sign of the widespread misinformation about magnetic toys and how some people are criminalizing a type toy without even knowing what they are talking about.
Those are the type of parents that don’t read manufacturers’ recommendations when they buy toys.
Thanks for the extra info, Giovanni and James. I can’t remember if my son’s is SuperMag or GeoMag but for sure it’s not Magnetix. Come to think of it, I think you’re right. The balls aren’t magnetic. But it’s still no good when kids swallow magnets regardless of their shape!
Actually there is a big difference between magnetix and supermag, as i have bought both for my children. Supermag is made in a way that the plastic completly covers the magnets and it makes it impossible for it come out, while with magentix the magnets are small and easily come lose from the plastic parts, these small magnets are the denager. I remember reading an article about the techical details of the shape of supermag which explained why the plastic covered the magnets so that if you put 2 rods together the magnets do not touch each other reducing the strenght.
As usual, top-quality brands offer you best results. Supermag and Geomag share a common idea, and the same know-how. No magnets falling out from both. Magnet IS the rod you play with, moulded in a way it can’t fall off (you need a hammer to break a rod, but a child with a hammer is more dangerous than a magnet…).
Still surprised that magnetix is on the shelf even if they know it’s dangerous…
Jenny: Thanks for the extra info.
Giovanni: I wouldn’t exactly say that MEGA Brands is crap. Perhaps Magnetix toys are not made as well as Supermag and Geomag but as you can see, the packaging is very slick. Not exactly a dollar store toy.
I think the point is that magnetic toys have small parts that are not meant for small children because they have a greater tendency to swallow things. Not that my son has ever attempted to swallow any of his toys but some children are more oral than others. Parents of such children should be more careful as to the kinds of toys they give their children to play with.
My 9 y.o. daughter “never” puts toys in her mouth. I have not been concerned with small parts for YEARS, but I recently caught her with a Magnetix ball in her mouth on two occassions. The toy is in the trash now.
Funny – Plastwood seems to think their product is safe but I assure that it is not. Take a look at an my son’s xray after he ate several rods. http://www.bigfunsports.com/xray.jpg
I see this as a fundamental failure in parenting. As the parent you need to supervise your childrens play, and if they are too immature to follow important instructions, then you should not have bought the toys or allowed them to play with them in the first place.
Don’t blame the toy or society for your failure in parenting.
Dave – do you have children? What a pompus AS@ you are. Parenting is a 24/7 responsibility, however it is impossible to be next to them every minute of the day. Accidents happen – now the quetion is could the manufacturer done something to prevent it.
“Accidents happen – now the quetion is could the manufacturer done something to prevent it.”
And the answer is, No. Plastwood does everything beyond what is required: make a quality controlled product with proper warning labels on swallowing/choking hazards. Yes, accidents happen. 1 or 2 rods swallowed would have been an accident…to swallow 20 rods tells me the kid should not have been allowed to play with the toy in the first place.
Anyway, Dave came off sounding pompous, but his point should not be lost. The poster of the xray blamed Plastwood for being “unsafe” because her son swallowed 20 rods. That struck me and at least Dave as irresponsible finger-pointing.
My 6-year-old daughter loves playing with her sets and has enjoyed them since she was 4 years old…long after we were sure she would never put them in her mouth and could understand the real danger of doing so. We really drilled it into her head about never putting them near or in her mouth.
My 5 year old boys love their Magnetix. They have played for hours with their sets since they were 3 years old. Never had an incident until yesterday when one of my boys swallowed one of the balls. He is 5 and is curiousity took over his ability to think logically when he put the ball in his mouth to “taste” it because it looked kind of “yummy”. Never in my life did I think he would do such a thing, but it happens. I’m taking him to the hospital today for xrays and have permanently put away all Magnetix and even small LEGO toys. Taking no risks with “yummy” plastic either.
Hi, I see that your son just did this. Well, my brilliant 7 yr. old daughter did the same thing tonight!! I called the ER, but she thought it would pass, but I am worried. What did you find out by taking your son in? My 7 year old is skinny and I think that ball is “heavy” and big, wondering if she can pass it ok? Will you let me know what your doc said? I am calling the ped in the morning, it was too late to tonight.
Thanks
Look. The damn things are dangerous (the balls and magnets). Kids put them in their mouth and can end up with a preforated or occluded intestine. And to claim that the balls are “not dangerous when swallowed” because they are made out of “nickel-plated steel” is preposterous to say the very least. Elemental Ni is far less toxic than its soluble forms, but that’s not the point. It’s the fact that ingestion can lead to life treatening performations and occlusions. It’s rare, but it happens. So get rid of the toy.
“perforations”. Pardon my French,
My daughter, when she was 2, swallowed one of the balls. I never noticed until it came out of her the next morning. The balls won’t harm a thing if swallowed. The magnetic bars do. With Supermag, the smaller bar especially could be seen as an interesting thing to put in her mouth.
When one of the kids is playing with Geomag we keep an eye on both of them. The 5 year old can play by herself with them, but the 1 year old (who doesn’t put things in his mouth generally) is not allowed near them.
It is simply not a baby toy. The problem with Magnetix was that it was a bad product. Magnets fell out and those tiny little things were easily missed during cleanup and easily swallowed. My wife and I keep counting the bars whenever the toy is put away to make sure there aren’t any left laying around.
As a construction toy, I think it’s a classic and I see no reason to deprive my kids from the wonders of magnetism. Just look on YouTube for Dynamic Geomag Gears for a great example.