Melissa and Doug Toy Safety

Hi everyone

We are on the verge of a long weekend here in Canada and for our children, the first camping trip. You can imagine the excitement!

I had a very good discussion with Melissa and Doug yesterday with regards to the finishes on their wooden toy. We have had a complaint about the toys smelling "gassy" when the customer opened the package. We have sold a lot of Melissa and Doug toys over the years and have never heard this complaint before but we decided that we absolutely do need to follow up. We contacted Melissa and Doug and they were very helpful. Lisa explained that in very rare circumstances it may happen that the toys got shrink wrapped before they are a 100% dry and this could cause a "gassy" smell when the products are opened. Also keep in mind that the Melissa and Doug toys are painted, not dyed.

I also found the following message from Melissa and Doug on their website:
MELISSA & DOUG SAFETY STATEMENT
From day one, we’ve signed our names, Melissa & Doug, to every product we make. We take that signature seriously --- it’s our commitment to you that you can trust the products you bring into your home. As parents, every time we make a product for you, it also has to pass the test of coming home with us, where we enjoy playing with these same toys with all six of our children.
No matter how carefully we design our products, we believe there’s no substitute for TESTING, TESTING, and MORE TESTING. The key to assuring the safety of our products is not simply insisting our factories follow our instructions, but to go one step further and AUDIT, INSPECT, AND TEST, not only once, but at various phases of the production process. This is something we’ve always done.
Additionally, we specifically test our paints and coatings very frequently, to be sure our toys meet or exceed government recommendations limiting heavy metals and lead in children’s items. We have cabinets full of thousands of passing test reports, and these passing results have been verified by 3rd party independently accredited testing laboratories, considered by many to be the best scientific laboratories in the world.
Please continue to enjoy our toys with confidence, knowing that each and every time we design and craft a toy, we’re not only making them for you, but for our own kids too.

Lisa at Melissa and Doug customer service also extended an invitation to any Melissa and Doug customer to contact her personally should you have any concerns or questions. Melissa and Doug can be reached tollfree at (800) 718-5365