In Australia, New South Wales state inspectors checked the shelves of more than 500 stores looking for dangerous toys. About two dozen were identified as being unsafe and immediately pulled from those shelves.
"We found some absolute shockers out there," said New South Wales Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation Matt Kean.
Destroying dangerous toys /CGTN Photo
"We found a Peppa The Pig chainsaw with small parts that could break off and present a choking hazard. We found a frog rattle, again for small children, small parts could break off and pose a choking hazard," Kean added.
Many of those dangerous toys were crushed by a steamroller in an annual event designed to highlight the potential dangers, and inform parents of what to look out for when buying gifts for their kids.
Testing toys inside Choice's Sydney headquarters /CGTN Photo
"The last thing we want is for Santa to place an unsafe toy under the tree this Christmas," said Kean.
At consumer group Choice in Sydney, toys are put through a series of tests each year to determine just how appropriate they are for young children.
"These include a drop test to see if small parts break away easily, we also conduct magnetic tests, if necessary, because some very small magnets could be really harmful if ingested. We also do tests that involve strength so we see if buttons can fall apart easily if they can be pulled off, seams that fall apart and reveal stuffing which could be an ingestion hazard for example," said Choice team leader Kim Gilmour.
Urging parents to inspect the safety of toys /CGTN Photo
Despite the work of inspectors and authorities in Australia and around the world, some dangerous toys will inevitably make their way onto store shelves, which is why Gilmour said the responsibility for keeping kids safe ultimately falls on parents.
"I think the key thing this Christmas is not to get too worried but just be vigilant. It's really important that products that are out there are safe and you do see some fads, trends of particular toys out there – mermaid tales, hoverboards, fidget spinners with blades on them and things like that," Gilmour said.
"You know, it is really important to look out and make sure, just use common sense when you are actually out there buying something," she added.
(Head Image: Toys identified by the NSW Department of Fair Trading as being dangerous /CGTN Photo)