>From the Miami Herald:
Miami company pulling candy bags with toy depicting 9-11 attack 8/27/2004
Associated Press
MIAMI - A wholesaler is recalling about 14,000 bags of candy containing a toy that shows a plane flying into the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
Luis Pedron, national sales manager for Lisy Corp., said Friday the company distributes authentic Mexican candy in bags and puts a small toy in each bag. The toys were purchased in bulk from a Miami-based import company and Pedron says his company had not noticed what the small plastic figurines depict until someone complained.
There is no mistake what the toy represents: at the bottom of each is the product number 9011.
"When we found out what happened, we recalled them immediately," said Pedron, who said the offensive toys do not reflect the company's view. "I was offended by them. I am an American. Whoever made these are not on the same page as mine," he said.
The candy bags were distributed by the company's 100 distributors. Most are sold to small Hispanic and Mexican groceries, Pedron said. He estimated that about 90 percent of the bags have been collected.
An Orlando grandmother, Anna Rodriguez, told television station WFTV, that she was stunned when she saw the toy in the bag of candy she bought for her grandson.
"It makes me angry," she said. "I was offended because I couldn't believe that someone would give something like that to a kid." Pedron said his company had two complaints, the one from the woman in Orlando and another in Boston.
The toys came in an assortment purchased sight unseen from L&M Import in Miami and included the 9-11 toys. whistles and other small toys, Pedron said. The invoice said the toy was a plastic swing set. A woman who answered the telephone at L&M and refused to give her name, said Friday she didn't know anything about the toy.
Pedron said he is saving the toys to return to the distributor. "I hate to blame the importer. He probably did not know what he was getting. He brings them in 40-foot containers. But whoever made it knew exactly what they were making," he said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/9514563.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp ==================================