This is really useful information, thank you for acknowledging this. I seriously had zero clue on the amount of toxic materials put into these figures, and considering I used to play with these toys a lot I’m surprised I haven’t had any health complications. I still have these figures lying on my shelf, I’ll be sure to keep these out of reach for anyone.
The big problem with lead is that the health problems at low doses can be insidious, without obvious effects. I have owned all the examples in the video since I was a child and played with them a lot. I don't have any obvious health problems that can be linked to this, but issues with lead are largely cognitive and effect brain development. Would I be smarter today if I hadn't owned these? Done better in school? Would my personality even be subtly different? Who knows but... Possibly.
That sucks that most dino toys from the 70s - 90s have lead paint I love these oddballs because they just have a charm because of em looking goofy and having nostalgia on outdated dino art.
This really hurts me. I grew up with those Imperial dinosaur toys. I actually went and purchased a Larami Apatosaurus recently then I came across this video. Darn, I was looking to recollect the Imperial and Dor Mei toys. I just bagged up my imperial Tyrannosaur and washed my hands just now. Thank you for getting the word out.
In my opinion, I really just want people to be aware and cautious. I do think it's still ok to collect these. People collect lots of stuff that's not necessary safe to have lots of exposure to. Just being aware of safety precautions and hand washing should be sufficient. Lead doesn't enter through the skin.
I came here because I recently acquired a vintage Godzilla bootleg from the 80s. I had a feeling it contained lead due to prior knowledge of cheap vintage dinosaur figures containing lead. This figure is made of the same or similar hard rubbery plastic as these dinosaurs. Although nobody seems to know who made this particular bootleg, many have spread the misinformation that it was made by Imperial, even though they have no source and there are no Imperial markings on the figure. Can you tell me, how would I know for sure whether it contains a high amount of lead or not?
Unfortunately the only way to know for sure would be to have it tested directly, which is how my main source for this video (Lead Safe Mama blog) made those determinations. However given the age and the description of the product I think it's a pretty safe bet that there are high levels of heavy metals present in the toy.
SidB The question that won't easily go away, as far as I'm concerned, when I read about these shockingly high lead ppm for the older figures, is just how easy is it to absorb or imbibe lead from mere touching? I don't mean chewing on or sucking on the plastic - just touching. Do we really know? For example, you don't seem to have suffered any ill effects. Just how readily does the transfer take place?
Luckily, according to every reputable source I've found, lead can't be absorbed through the skin. www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1025AppA
Oh jeez... I wonder if my first edition Carnegies are safe... I'm a bit concerned because even though I'm a collector, I still handle the figures quite frequently. Especially for filmmaking and photography. So I'm wondering if lead would spread onto other objects if it came into contact with them. Also, would you happen to know if the AAA and UKRD figures of the 90s were toxic? Edit: Ooh, I just thought about Marx. Those must be even worse... Well, at least I'm not sticking them in my mouth.
Unfortunately I don't know how far this extends. Like I said, Safari says it has been safety tested for over 30 years, which would be it's entire figure making history. So I would assume those are relatively safe across the board unless I see evidence otherwise. Of course safety standards weren't as strict back in the 90s, but at least they'd have to be better than Laramie and Imperial. I'm also not sure about the 90s era UKRD toys. I believe the safety standards on imports would have been fairly strict by then. A clue could be the CE marks, which indicates safety testing. These only began in the early 90s so they can't help for 80s stuff, but if you see one it might be safe. I say might, because apparently people used to use fake CE marks that "actually" just meant "Chinese Export"!
Jurassic Plastic Really?! Well that’s odd! Luckily I’m only going to be collecting the 90s UKRD figures, as the older ones don’t appeal to me. And I believe the Marx figures would still be safe, because they aren’t painted and are small figures, so if they do have any lead, it wouldn’t be a hazardous amount. Also I just checked my AAA figures and they all have CE marks. So they, like the Carnegies, must be fairly safe too.
@@deltadromeus5053 Yeah, Marx isn't as big an issue since they're unpainted. There still was lead in color plastic back then but weren't a lot of Marx made in the US or otherwise outside China? Even still, lead in the base plastic would be a lot harder to get into your system unless you're chewing on it. Even if the figure is questionable, I think just being aware of it while filming or taking photos, and then washing your hands, is good enough. This PSA was more to raise awareness and make sure people aren't giving these to kids and pets who are more likely to get the stuff in their system.
Jurassic Plastic Alright, well thanks for spreading the word on this topic. I think it’s good for all collectors to be aware that some of their figures may not be up to modern safety standards. However, as I much I have worried, I think that I won’t be in much danger to lead poisoning(depending on if lead can spread to other objects through contact). I mean, I’ve had imperial and dor mei Godzilla figures for years. I used to play with them, but now they mostly just sit on a shelf. Other than those, and a Wendy’s DD ceratosaurus, I can’t think of any other figures I own that could affect me. I did some research on lead poisoning, and I was afraid that I could have some of the symptoms, but a lot of them have other causes too. So maybe I was just worrying too much as usual.
@@deltadromeus5053 I'm not a doctor, but I don't think lead is easy to spread to other things, and it can not get in through your skin. So not too much to worry about!
I showed my grandma this vid and she found it interesting that there was that much lead in dinosaur toys, he also found your nickname of Terribledactyl pretty funny
One question: are Invicta's figures like those Imperial/Laramie toys in terms of ppm numbers? I've been looking into getting some, and I don't want to be holding something that is hazardous to my and my pet's health.
Unfortunately I haven't seen any testing on the Invictas. They do use color plastic but not particularly bright colors, so I'm not sure if the lead content would be high. It is also unlikely you'd be exposed to significant contamination from unpainted models. If it's in the plastic only, you'd basically have to chew on it. It wouldn't come off on your hands as far as I know.
These dinosaurs are being reissued by a company called JA-RU.I bought the stegosaurus figure at Publix for $4.79.They are the same figures and stamped in the same spot the company.These are great because they would be made with new safety standards so no lead in them now the paint.The quality is quite good to.
Wow! I doubt they could be the same molds after all these years but if they even have the stamp in the same place I wonder if some new company inherited the molds and duplicated them.
I’ve been wondering, lots of kids touched Imperials when they were young playing and lots of people still do and are fine, is it okay if I keep them on display in my room and touch them and wash my hands always after touching them?
Yup, I think I mentioned this in my video. Keep them in display, wash your hands, and it's fine. Just don't let kids play with them because they tend to touch their face and mouth while playing and may even put the toys in their mouths. Lots of people who played with these as kids including myself are "fine", true. Lead isn't a deadly poison in small doses. We only know about its effects due to comparison studies. Kids who played with lead based toys or in houses with other sources of lead have permanent neurological effects. Practically speaking, playing with Imperial and Laramie toys in the 80s didn't kill me but they probably altered my development and possibly even ability to learn. I bet if have done at least a little better in school if I hadn't had these toys.
As a heavy metal lead will not travel through the air in any way I less you're like, grinding it up and generating dust or powder that could be airborne. It also doesn't absorb through skin. You basically have to get it into your mouth.
Atleast there are knock offs of these molds which are quite common on toy stores from malls that follow toy regulations that don't allow lead based on my research so yeah atleast we have safer alternatives.
I would assume new ones lack led, hopefully… also I wonder if the ones for sale nowadays are actually knockoffs or if the original molds are still in play somewhere? Are they still marked as Imperial?
@@jurassicplastic2539 I saw them again weeks ago and they are not exact copies of the imperials but similar pose and looks wise to the imperial that some people could mistake them for exact imperial copies. The dinosaur figures that they sell that looks similar to tge imparials are their Apatosaurus which is based on the imperials diplodocus looks and pose wise, their ceratosaurus which is similar to imperial's less known ceratosaurus that seems to be made later by imperial and an iguanodon from a different line from the same company that has iconic imperial big eyes and bright colors but the mold was not copied from imperial but from a different company. the In a nutshell they are kinda like the larami green T rex. Similar in pose and looks but not identical.
@@jurassicplastic2539 they are also quite soft and rubbery like their original imperial counterparts but unlike their imperial counterparts. They have a darker color scheme making some of them realistic and all them have a brown base plastic/rubber. Also they have some molds that seem original and are barely based on any imperials but still based on retrosaur depictions like their triceratops which looks pretty great, a hadrosaurus that also looks great, and a Tyrannosaurus which looks terrible.
@@jurassicplastic2539I remember Jaru made more recent knock offs of the imperial figures. It seems they used the same molds but the quality has become worse. The "knock offs" I was talking about are not the Jaru ones
Luckily the laws today are pretty strict. You would not be able to ship these toys to the US or Europe today. Unfortunately, these have been floating around on the secondary market for almost 40 years, and there are no safety testing requirements when you sell toys on eBay or at a yard sale.
All the led that poisoned us in our childhood turned us into those crazy dinosaur fans we are today. Why do we like dinosaurs so much ? Brain damage ? :D
LOOK AT ALL THOSE LEAD ! IT'S BEAUTIFUL !
This is really useful information, thank you for acknowledging this. I seriously had zero clue on the amount of toxic materials put into these figures, and considering I used to play with these toys a lot I’m surprised I haven’t had any health complications. I still have these figures lying on my shelf, I’ll be sure to keep these out of reach for anyone.
The big problem with lead is that the health problems at low doses can be insidious, without obvious effects. I have owned all the examples in the video since I was a child and played with them a lot. I don't have any obvious health problems that can be linked to this, but issues with lead are largely cognitive and effect brain development. Would I be smarter today if I hadn't owned these? Done better in school? Would my personality even be subtly different? Who knows but... Possibly.
That's an interesting prospect to explore. Very enjoyable video!
That sucks that most dino toys from the 70s - 90s have lead paint I love these oddballs because they just have a charm because of em looking goofy and having nostalgia on outdated dino art.
This really hurts me. I grew up with those Imperial dinosaur toys. I actually went and purchased a Larami Apatosaurus recently then I came across this video. Darn, I was looking to recollect the Imperial and Dor Mei toys. I just bagged up my imperial Tyrannosaur and washed my hands just now. Thank you for getting the word out.
In my opinion, I really just want people to be aware and cautious. I do think it's still ok to collect these. People collect lots of stuff that's not necessary safe to have lots of exposure to. Just being aware of safety precautions and hand washing should be sufficient. Lead doesn't enter through the skin.
I came here because I recently acquired a vintage Godzilla bootleg from the 80s. I had a feeling it contained lead due to prior knowledge of cheap vintage dinosaur figures containing lead. This figure is made of the same or similar hard rubbery plastic as these dinosaurs. Although nobody seems to know who made this particular bootleg, many have spread the misinformation that it was made by Imperial, even though they have no source and there are no Imperial markings on the figure. Can you tell me, how would I know for sure whether it contains a high amount of lead or not?
Unfortunately the only way to know for sure would be to have it tested directly, which is how my main source for this video (Lead Safe Mama blog) made those determinations. However given the age and the description of the product I think it's a pretty safe bet that there are high levels of heavy metals present in the toy.
So my Imperial Godzilla is TOXIC?!? Sweet Celestia...
I have some of these on my shelf so thank you for letting me know about this
SidB
The question that won't easily go away, as far as I'm concerned, when I read about these shockingly high lead ppm for the older figures, is just how easy is it to absorb or imbibe lead from mere touching? I don't mean chewing on or sucking on the plastic - just touching. Do we really know? For example, you don't seem to have suffered any ill effects. Just how readily does the transfer take place?
Luckily, according to every reputable source I've found, lead can't be absorbed through the skin. www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1025AppA
aw hell, I had a ton of those imperial dinos as a tyke...explains why I have 1 whole brain cell left ig
Oh jeez... I wonder if my first edition Carnegies are safe...
I'm a bit concerned because even though I'm a collector, I still handle the figures quite frequently. Especially for filmmaking and photography. So I'm wondering if lead would spread onto other objects if it came into contact with them.
Also, would you happen to know if the AAA and UKRD figures of the 90s were toxic?
Edit: Ooh, I just thought about Marx. Those must be even worse...
Well, at least I'm not sticking them in my mouth.
Unfortunately I don't know how far this extends. Like I said, Safari says it has been safety tested for over 30 years, which would be it's entire figure making history. So I would assume those are relatively safe across the board unless I see evidence otherwise. Of course safety standards weren't as strict back in the 90s, but at least they'd have to be better than Laramie and Imperial.
I'm also not sure about the 90s era UKRD toys. I believe the safety standards on imports would have been fairly strict by then. A clue could be the CE marks, which indicates safety testing. These only began in the early 90s so they can't help for 80s stuff, but if you see one it might be safe. I say might, because apparently people used to use fake CE marks that "actually" just meant "Chinese Export"!
Jurassic Plastic Really?! Well that’s odd! Luckily I’m only going to be collecting the 90s UKRD figures, as the older ones don’t appeal to me. And I believe the Marx figures would still be safe, because they aren’t painted and are small figures, so if they do have any lead, it wouldn’t be a hazardous amount.
Also I just checked my AAA figures and they all have CE marks. So they, like the Carnegies, must be fairly safe too.
@@deltadromeus5053 Yeah, Marx isn't as big an issue since they're unpainted. There still was lead in color plastic back then but weren't a lot of Marx made in the US or otherwise outside China? Even still, lead in the base plastic would be a lot harder to get into your system unless you're chewing on it.
Even if the figure is questionable, I think just being aware of it while filming or taking photos, and then washing your hands, is good enough. This PSA was more to raise awareness and make sure people aren't giving these to kids and pets who are more likely to get the stuff in their system.
Jurassic Plastic Alright, well thanks for spreading the word on this topic. I think it’s good for all collectors to be aware that some of their figures may not be up to modern safety standards. However, as I much I have worried, I think that I won’t be in much danger to lead poisoning(depending on if lead can spread to other objects through contact). I mean, I’ve had imperial and dor mei Godzilla figures for years. I used to play with them, but now they mostly just sit on a shelf. Other than those, and a Wendy’s DD ceratosaurus, I can’t think of any other figures I own that could affect me. I did some research on lead poisoning, and I was afraid that I could have some of the symptoms, but a lot of them have other causes too. So maybe I was just worrying too much as usual.
@@deltadromeus5053 I'm not a doctor, but I don't think lead is easy to spread to other things, and it can not get in through your skin. So not too much to worry about!
I showed my grandma this vid and
she found it interesting that there was that much lead in dinosaur toys, he also found your nickname of Terribledactyl pretty funny
Glad she liked it! And liked my name... Maybe she was a Dinosaucers fan. 😁
One question: are Invicta's figures like those Imperial/Laramie toys in terms of ppm numbers? I've been looking into getting some, and I don't want to be holding something that is hazardous to my and my pet's health.
Unfortunately I haven't seen any testing on the Invictas. They do use color plastic but not particularly bright colors, so I'm not sure if the lead content would be high. It is also unlikely you'd be exposed to significant contamination from unpainted models. If it's in the plastic only, you'd basically have to chew on it. It wouldn't come off on your hands as far as I know.
@@jurassicplastic2539 Thanks for the info!
These dinosaurs are being reissued by a company called JA-RU.I bought the stegosaurus figure at Publix for $4.79.They are the same figures and stamped in the same spot the company.These are great because they would be made with new safety standards so no lead in them now the paint.The quality is quite good to.
Wow! I doubt they could be the same molds after all these years but if they even have the stamp in the same place I wonder if some new company inherited the molds and duplicated them.
@Mark63 they are the same company who made those funny looking marx knock offs too I think 😂😂
Behold, the brutally low standards of toy safety during the Cold War; the only one I had was the Styracosaurus
I’ve been wondering, lots of kids touched Imperials when they were young playing and lots of people still do and are fine, is it okay if I keep them on display in my room and touch them and wash my hands always after touching them?
Yup, I think I mentioned this in my video. Keep them in display, wash your hands, and it's fine. Just don't let kids play with them because they tend to touch their face and mouth while playing and may even put the toys in their mouths. Lots of people who played with these as kids including myself are "fine", true. Lead isn't a deadly poison in small doses. We only know about its effects due to comparison studies. Kids who played with lead based toys or in houses with other sources of lead have permanent neurological effects. Practically speaking, playing with Imperial and Laramie toys in the 80s didn't kill me but they probably altered my development and possibly even ability to learn. I bet if have done at least a little better in school if I hadn't had these toys.
Jurassic Plastic Thank you I’ll handle them with gloves and keep them in a display case 👍🙂
I don't even think gloves are necessary. It can't get through your skin so as long as you wash your hand before touching your mouth you're good.
Jurassic Plastic oh ok even better now i don’t have to buy gloves! Thank you! 😃
so are these safe to be in the room with me or should they be in a display box to prevent offgassing?
As a heavy metal lead will not travel through the air in any way I less you're like, grinding it up and generating dust or powder that could be airborne. It also doesn't absorb through skin. You basically have to get it into your mouth.
Atleast there are knock offs of these molds which are quite common on toy stores from malls that follow toy regulations that don't allow lead based on my research so yeah atleast we have safer alternatives.
I would assume new ones lack led, hopefully… also I wonder if the ones for sale nowadays are actually knockoffs or if the original molds are still in play somewhere? Are they still marked as Imperial?
@@jurassicplastic2539 I saw them again weeks ago and they are not exact copies of the imperials but similar pose and looks wise to the imperial that some people could mistake them for exact imperial copies. The dinosaur figures that they sell that looks similar to tge imparials are their Apatosaurus which is based on the imperials diplodocus looks and pose wise, their ceratosaurus which is similar to imperial's less known ceratosaurus that seems to be made later by imperial and an iguanodon from a different line from the same company that has iconic imperial big eyes and bright colors but the mold was not copied from imperial but from a different company. the In a nutshell they are kinda like the larami green T rex. Similar in pose and looks but not identical.
@@jurassicplastic2539 they are also quite soft and rubbery like their original imperial counterparts but unlike their imperial counterparts. They have a darker color scheme making some of them realistic and all them have a brown base plastic/rubber. Also they have some molds that seem original and are barely based on any imperials but still based on retrosaur depictions like their triceratops which looks pretty great, a hadrosaurus that also looks great, and a Tyrannosaurus which looks terrible.
@@jurassicplastic2539I remember Jaru made more recent knock offs of the imperial figures. It seems they used the same molds but the quality has become worse. The "knock offs" I was talking about are not the Jaru ones
At first I thought that knockoff Tyrannosaurus was based on Ely Kish's Daspletosaurus.
I love your intro😂
Now THATS what I call ☢️
Dat nasty. It should be a law that its no lead at all in toys. If you display them put it behind a display case with a warning that says lead paint.
Luckily the laws today are pretty strict. You would not be able to ship these toys to the US or Europe today. Unfortunately, these have been floating around on the secondary market for almost 40 years, and there are no safety testing requirements when you sell toys on eBay or at a yard sale.
I’m a kid and I play with these and uh godamn
All the led that poisoned us in our childhood turned us into those crazy dinosaur fans we are today.
Why do we like dinosaurs so much ? Brain damage ? :D
I like dinosaur.
“Clearly the pose was copied”
Ew a “pose theft-er”