National crisis averted as toy hamsters are deemed safe after all

Whew, this was a close call. On Monday, consumer watchdog group GoodGuide almost dashed the hopes of many of child nationwide by claiming that Zhu Zhu toy hamsters were unsafe. The group said one hamster in particular, Mr. Squiggles, contains dangerous levels antimony, a chemical that's been linked to heart and lung problems and cancer. Soon, however, the Consumer Product Safety Commission swooped in and conducted its own testing, and said Mr. Squiggles is, in fact, safe, as well as cute and cuddly. (For its part, GoodGuide backtracked and posted this note on its site, admitting its testing methodology did not meet federal standards.) Still, the notion of not buying a Zhu Zhu hamster is a welcome idea. Why not get your kids the real thing? Having a flesh-and-blood-and-fur-and-poop pet teaches a child responsibility. And better yet, you don't have to worry about lead, antimony or all those other harmful things. Unless you let the poor thing loose in a lab or something like that.

—Posted by Elaine Wong