Image from Flickr.

Zhu Zhu pets might be unsafe, according to consumer group Good Guide. The little hamster robots that have won the hearts of Americans are now under investigation. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is running tests to find out the levels of antimony and whether Zhu Zhu pets have unsafe levels of the chemical.

Good Guide says antimony can cause cancer, lung and heart problems. The group also says the light brown hamster, Mr. Squiggles, contains unsafe levels of antimony. Parents might be wise to wait until the federal commission completes its tests before they blow all their cash til payday on Zhu Zhu pets that might be unsafe.

Details on whether Zhu Zhu pets are unsafe

The federal government says levels of antimony up to 60 parts per million are considered safe. However, Dara O’Rourke, co-founder of the California-based GoodGuide, says that the group found levels between 93 and 106 parts per million in Mr. Squiggles. The maker of Zhu Zhu pets, though, says the toys are safe.

“All our products are subjected to several levels of rigorous safety testing conducted by our own internal teams, as well as the world’s leading independent quality assurance testing organization, and also by independent labs engaged by our retail partners,” Russ Hornsby, CEO of Cepia, said in a written statement. “The results of every test prove that our products are in compliance with all government and industry safety standards.”

Cepia is based in St. Louis, Missouri, and the Zhu Zhu pets have become very popular in the United States as well as Europe.

Feds say investigation will be swift

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has said it will complete the investigation into whether Zhu Zhu pets are unsafe quickly. So, if Zhu Zhu pets are on your holiday shopping list, you might want to sit tight until the commission determines whether Zhu Zhu pets are unsafe.

Zhu Zhu pets are like this guy, but they aren't alive. However, many thousands of kids don't care. (Photo: flickr.com)

Retail stores are getting ready for the Christmas shopping season, which means that people who aren’t compulsively early shoppers are getting ready to buy their gifts. If that means getting in touch with personal loan companies to bankroll the whole operation, so be it. What a person decides to do with their money is their own business.

If you’re wondering what the little ones on your Christmas list might be interested in this year, Zhu Zhu Pets appear to be a safe course. According to Toys R Us, that’s going to be the top toy of the 2009 holiday shopping season. For retailers in need of a good holiday season, Zhu Zhu will do for them, too.

Play Me Off, Mr. Squiggles

Don’t let that cat anywhere near Mr. Squiggles and his Zhu Zhu Pets brethren this holiday season. The kids want to keep these toys to themselves. Effectively, they’re pets without the waste products, food needs and tendency to eat homework. For little kids, I don’t see the harm, although older children would be well-served shouldering the responsibility of caring for real hamsters.

Zhu Zhu Pets Getting Hard to Find?

Zhu Zhu Pets like Mr. Squiggles are selling on Amazon for $25.95, but there are reports that Wal-Mart was selling them for as little as $8. Understandably, they’re flying off the shelves at that price. Leave it to Wal-Mart to make toy shopping an operation that doesn’t require personal loan companies.

OK, So What Does Zhu Zhu Do For You?

While it doesn’t teach you about animal husbandry, Zhu Zhu Pets do come with the prerequisite array of bells and whistles. They are programmed to make more than 40 different sound effects and display rudimentary artificial intelligence. You can either watch them zip about the house or place them in one of their accessory play sets (sold separately, of course). Most of the pre-programmed sound effects only come out when Mr. Squiggles or another of the Zhu Zhu Pets is on a play set. They you can hear both kitchen and (wait for it) bathroom noises. Poopless, kiddies – but with the flush.

Retailers Don’t Want to Be Circling the Bowl

This Christmas, there’s a greater focus on consumer value than in recent years. We have the recession to thank for that. Cautious spending tends to rule out huge purchases, so retailers are looking for at smaller hits like Zhu Zhu Pets rather than big toys that have to be cut in price before the public gives them a nibble. Market research firm NPD Group Inc. informed the Columbus Dispatch that last year’s holiday season was marked by a five percent drop in toy sales over the previous year. Needham & Co. sees a further decrease from 2008 to 2009.

I Just Want to Say Good Luck. Mr. Squiggles is Counting on You

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Surely the Zhu Zhu Pets aren’t a serious replacement for real animals, but parents will appreciate not having to clean up after the animatronic replacements. We live busy lives and don’t want to have to contact personal loan companies in order to afford the cavalcade of cleansers needed to make our homes look presentable.

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