A family whose baby was strangled by a defective bassinet manufactured by Simplicity for Children, but carrying the licensed Disney Winnie-the-Pooh brand, has filed suit in California against Disney, according to a story in the Chicago Tribune by Patricia Callahan.
The issue of licensing and safety is an important one for consumer advocates. Parents often buy a product based on the licensed name they recognize, rather than the less well known manufacturer. Danny Keysar, whose parents founded Kids In Danger, was killed in a Playskool Travel-Lite portable crib. Playskool is a Hasbro company name, but it was actually manufactured by Kolcraft. In the lawsuit filed by Danny’s parents, both companies were named.