CALGARY – U.S. toy company K’NEX said the discovery of a box cutter inside a container of LINCOLN LOGS in December was an isolated incident.
Rachel and Josh Bulpitt said their three-year-old son, Jake, found the knife in the toy building set on Christmas morning.
“Right away, we moved it out of reach of the little one here, because he’s quite small and it could have caused him to be hurt pretty badly if he got a hold of it,” said Bulpitt.
The toy was a gift from Jake’s aunt, made by K’NEX and bought off the Toys “R” Us website.
The family contacted K’NEX, who issued a statement to Global News on Jan. 6 saying the potentially hazardous item found in the LINCOLN LOGS set accidentally fell in during pack out.
“We are grateful that neither Jake nor his parents were injured while opening his new toy,” said the company. “The pack out facility we contracted with has strict protocols and safety standards in place to avoid this type of occurrence. However, no matter how many safety procedures are in place, sometimes we simply cannot prevent human error. We have spoken with Jake’s mother to express our regret and apologize for the negative impact this has caused the Bulpitt family, and offered to send Jake a new Lincoln Logs set.”
Josh Bulpitt said he accepts the apology but will not be buying K’NEX products in future.
“I do believe the apology is a good one,” he said. “I do not agree with sending us a new LINCOLN LOGS. We expressed this is not a faulty product, its a safety concern that put my child in danger.”
“Simply replacing the toy seems a little pointless.”
BELOW: Read the complete statement from K’NEX
“After an investigation, we are confident that this was an isolated incident, and that the potentially hazardous item found in the Lincoln Logs set accidently fell in during pack out. We are grateful that neither Jake nor his parents were injured while opening his new toy.
K’NEX has been in the business of designing, manufacturing, and distributing quality toys for nearly 25 years. Safety is and has always been our top priority. Before any toy is brought to market, it undergoes rigorous testing to ensure that it complies with the mandatory CPSC Toy safety standards in the USA and the CPSA Toy Regulations in Canada. The pack out facility we contracted with has strict protocols and safety standards in place to avoid this type of occurrence. However, no matter how many safety procedures are in place, sometimes we simply cannot prevent human error.
We have spoken with Jake’s mother to express our regret and apologize for the negative impact this has caused the Bulpitt family, and offered to send Jake a new Lincoln Logs set.”
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