Controversy shoots down sale of water guns

Discount Store News, July 6, 1992

BOSTON -- Do high-powered water toys add fuel to the flames of urban violence?

A seemingly absurd question until a few weeks ago, the issue is now hotly debated. This is the result of two violent incidents here in Bean Town involving the brightly colored toys that left one person killed and another injured. As a result, some local retailers are now giving up lucrative sales on one of the season's most popular toys.

Reaction to Boston Mayor Ray Flynn's June 8 letter to area retailers requesting they remove Laramie's Super-Soaker and other high-powered water guns from retail shelves appears mixed. Some of the retailers complying with the request say they are angry about having to relinquish sales on what obviously is a toy and not a lethal weapon nor a conduit to violent acts.

Laramie, whose Super Soaker water toy was identified in Boston as the cause of an incident that led to the shooting death of a local youth, responded swiftly to the voluntary toy ban.

In a statement also dated June 8, Laramie, while sympathizing with the friends and family of the slain youth, commented that Super Soaker--with its large size, bulky water tanks and florescent colors, "is obviously a toy" and that it hopes "cities across America will make real progress-not not token measures--in solving the problems of violence that face them."

Area retailers, particularly those that are locally based, were caught in an untenable position when the Mayor requested the toys be removed from shelves. One retailer, who asked not to be identified, noted that the controversy has actually caused greater interest in the toy.

Toys "R" Us, the nation's largest toy chain, declined to comment on the matter, and a company spokeswoman simply said the chain is selling the toy.

A call to Toys "R" Us' Dedham, Mass., store, in the Boston area, bore that out. In fact, a store sales clerk said the toy store had "tons" of the Super Soakers.

Child World, which is based in nearby Avon, was a little light on stock of Super Soakers in its Quincy store, said a sales clerk, confirming that the chain also is selling the controversial toy.

Herb Douglas, senior vice president, hard lines, at Bradlees said the locally based discounter responded immediately to the Mayor's request and removed the toys from three inner city stores but not from others.

In addition, Bradless pulled an ad for the water toys and the next ad for them will exclude the affected stores.

Stuarts, another locally based discount chain, is eliminating the toy from its inventory in all stores, said Fred Kask, buyer. Once all the merchandise is sold off, Kask said Stuarts will evaluate the situation.

Kmart, with stores that ring the Boston area, said the toys were not pulled from the shelves.

"We're not aware of any problems involving the items" aside from the two that have been widely publicized, said company spokeswoman Mary Lorencz.

The toy water guns have not been pulled in any Kmart store.

Lorencz also noted that should the water toys be missing from shelves, it is probably due to demand for the items.

In fact, demand for the water gun! is very high. Two of Laramie's Super Soakers were on the top 10 list of most popular toys in April, according to the Toy Manufacturers of America.

In all, six companies sell water pistols and water pumps, said David Miller, president of TMA, adding that he hopes the issue dies down soon.

"Outside of politicians under stress and the press, the consumers and the public at large understand that this is not a problem of toy guns but of real guns," he said, noting that the water guns look so "futuristic and abstract" that no one would confuse them with a real gun.

Currently, water gun sales constitute a very small percentage of the estimated $15 billion toy business. However, largely due to Super Soaker, which debuted two years ago, sales of water guns have rebounded and will once again reappear on the toy industry survey of product movement and manufacturer sales value slated for release during the 1993 Toy Fair held in February, said Miller. He noted that last year water gun sales dipped so low that they were removed from the annual survey.

Overall toy gun sales accounted for three-fourths of 1% of total toy sales in 1990, the most recent year for which figures are available.

In 1990, the broader category of toy guns/weapons/-accessories accounted for $67 million in estimated manufacturer shipments, roughly $185 million in retail sales, down from $70 million in manufacturers' shipments in 1989. For both years, toy gun shipments totaled 17 million units.

Because of several incidents of toy guns being confused with real guns by police and laymen alike, the U.S. Commerce Department in 1990 set strict marking requirements for toy guns to differentiate them easily from the real thing. In the case of imports, the U.S. Customs Service also enforces the marking requirements.

According to the rules, toy guns must be marked in one of the following ways: * A blaze orange plug permanently attached to the muzzle Of the gun barrel and recessed no more than six millimeters; * A permanent blaze orange exterior band around the muzzle end of the barrel; * The item must be made entirely of transparent or translucent material so that the contents are unmistakenly obvious; * The surface of the item must be in bright red, orange, yellow, green, blue or a combination of these bright colors, visible in the firing position; * The entire exterior surface be white in combination with bright red, orange, yellow, green or blue.