Zhu Zhu Pets manufacturer Cepia disputes the Good Guide claim that Mr. Squiggles contains unsafe levels of antimony.
Good Guide earlier published that Zhu Zhu Pets Hampster Mr. Squiggles-Light Brown "contains tin, which is potentially harmful to the immune and nervous systems" and that the product "contains antimony, which may be linked to cancer, lung, and heart problems."
On December 5, 2009, Cepia CEO Russ Hornsby said "We are disputing the findings of Good Guide and we are 100% confident that Mr. Squiggles, and all other Zhu Zhu Toys, are safe and compliant with all U.S. and European standards for consumer health and safety in toys."
"All our products are subjected to several levels of rigorous safety testing conducted by our own internal teams, as well as the world's leading independent quality assurance testing organization, and also by independent labs engaged by our retail partners," Hornsby said. "The results of every test prove that our products are in compliance with all government and industry safety standards."
Test results show Mr. Squiggles, as well as all other Zhu Zhu Pets products, are well within U.S. government standards and these results have been certified by the world's leading independent testing organizations.
Rigorous testing and inspection procedures are in place for all Zhu Zhu Pets products to assure that the toys are completely safe. Working in conjunction with representatives from governing toy industry and trade organizations, we have made certain that all Zhu Zhu Pets products are regularly and frequently tested through an independent testing service, Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services, the global leader in Quality Assurance.
The Zhu Zhu Pets products are tested in laboratories several times during production, and again before they ship from the factory. The testing laboratories that conduct Zhu Zhu Pets product testing are accredited by the largest national and international bodies and adhere to the strictest protocol for testing. In fact, all Zhu Zhu Pets testing exceeds the levels for products distributed in the US, by passing the EN71 test required for products distributed in Europe.
"We are contacting the Good Guide people at this moment to share with them all of our Mr. Squiggles and Zhu Zhu Pet testing data so we can get to the bottom of how their report was founded," Russ Hornsby said. "We want to assure everyone already enjoying Mr. Squiggles or other Zhu Zhu Pets, and those planning to purchase Mr. Squiggles or another Zhu Zhu Pet this holiday season, that the toy is 100 percent safe and in compliance with all U.S. and European toy safety standards. I have been in the toy industry for more than 35 years, and being a father of children myself, I would never allow any substandard or unsafe product to hit the shelves. That's why we always test to not only meet but also exceed safety standards."