Tammi Houton, like a lot of parents yesterday, found herself surprised that peril could lurk behind some of the most familiar faces in children's toys. Elmo? Dora the Explorer? SpongeBob SquarePants?

I always knew something was wrong with Elmo … of course I didn't think it stretched out to 1 million of his friends, including Dora the lead-laden explorer. Mattel will be seeking a $30 million charge ...

There was a funny story in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal (link to article on another site) about how companies that provide costumed characters for birthday parties are finding creative ways of ...