Hazardous toys trigger a suicide
The week's news at a glance.
Foshan, China
The head of the Chinese toy company involved in a massive toy recall hanged himself last week, authorities said. Zhang Shuhong was co-owner of a company that supplied Mattel with Fisher-Price brand plastic toys found to contain lead paint. More than a million of the toys were recalled, and Zhang’s company is on the verge of collapse. This week, Mattel announced the recall of an additional 19 million Chinese-made toys, including some Barbie and Batman toys and Polly Pocket dolls. Mattel, the world’s largest toy retailer, gets about 65 percent of its products from China, the world’s leading toy supplier. The recalls are another blow to China’s already crumbling reputation as an exporter. Earlier this year, Chinese-made pet food sickened hundreds of animals in the U.S., and Chinese-made toothpaste was banned in South America.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Crossword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff