California authorities ask Target to pull Valentine ‘Message Bears’ over lead concerns

California wants Target to pull Valentine bears

OAKLAND, Calif. — The California attorney general is asking Target Corp. to pull its Valentine’s Day “Message Bears” from shelves over concerns about lead in the toys.

Attorney General Jerry Brown said in a letter Monday that testing revealed lead levels that violate federal law.

Target spokeswoman Beth Hanson says the Minneapolis-based company will stop selling the bears, which were made in China, while it investigates.

Hanson said Target’s initial investigation indicated the bears “had compliant testing results” when the toys shipped.

The products were identified as a pink stuffed bear with “XOXO” across its chest and a brown stuffed bear with “I Love U” across its chest, with the word “love” represented by a heart.

Brown’s letter says an investigator for the Center for Environmental Health, a nonprofit watchdog group, bought the toys at stores in California.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The California attorney general is asking Target Corp. to pull its Valentine’s Day “Message Bears” from store shelves over concerns about lead in the toys.

In a letter sent Monday, Attorney General Jerry Brown said testing of the holiday items revealed lead levels that violate federal law.

A message left at Target’s corporate headquarters in Minneapolis seeking comment was not immediately returned.

The products were identified as a pink stuffed bear with “XOXO” across its chest and a brown stuffed bear with “I Love U” across its chest, with the word “love” represented by a heart.

Brown’s letter says an investigator for the Center for Environmental Health, a nonprofit watchdog group, bought the toys at stores in California.