Maker of toy hamster bites back

   Apparently an over-eager, do-gooder consumer action group (GoodGuide) has raised the fur of its maker and generated safety endorsement from both sides of the pond today.

   GoodGuide claims that Zhu Zhu Pets (U.S.) or Go Go Hamsters (U.K.) contained an unhealthy "presence of a potentially harmful heavy metal" in the wildly popular robotic hamsters known as Mr. Squiggles. The "watchdog" (I guess they could be a "watchhamster") group indicated "excessive levels of antimony on the toy's hair and nose" in their tests.

  However, both the Consumer Product Safety Commission and its United Kingdom counterpart have deemed the made-in-China toy to be safe.

   Toymaker Cepia vehemently defended its cranked-up creature, saying the rodent had passed "the most rigorous testing in the toy industry" and that all the Zhu Zhu Pets are "100% safe and in compliance with all U.S. and European toy safety standards."

   GoodGuide stated that antimony is linked to cancer, reproductive health and other human health hazards, if ingested in high enough levels. {I'm not sure if 'high enough levels' means grinding up Mr. Squiggles and sprinkling him on your cereal.}

   My guess? If the toy is popular, people are going to buy it.

   Aside from Mr. Squiggles, there are three other models in the Zhu Zhu rodent stable: Chunk, Num Nums and Pipsqueak.