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Calls for cocktail toys to be banned
Nonprofit organisation Alcohol Justice has called for the removal of MGA Entertainment’s ‘Make It Mini Happy Hour’ toys, raising concerns about the normalisation of alcohol use among minors.
The alcohol-themed items are being sold in toy and cereal aisles in US stores, as well as in close proximity to alcohol products.
“By selling miniature alcoholic drink replicas as toys, MGA is sending a dangerous message to children,” said Cruz Avila, executive director of Alcohol Justice. “This is not only an irresponsible marketing move but also a cynical attempt to normalise alcohol use among young people, which can have lifelong consequences.
“Alcohol is a major risk factor for preventable youth mortality, and introducing these products into children’s play spaces is deeply troubling.”
The ‘Happy Hour’ line includes miniature resin cocktails and dollhouse-style accessories, with Alcohol Justice claiming their sale in both toy aisles and alcohol sections blurs the line between childhood play and adult behaviours.
The toys are marketed with a ‘21+’ age disclaimer, however Alcohol Justice alleges there is no enforcement of age restrictions on the toys. It adds that the inclusion of the unenforced age restriction reinforces the connection between the toys and real alcohol.
Alcohol Justice has partnered with Fairplay and the Consumer Federation of America to call on major retailers including Target, Walmart and Amazon to remove the toys from their shelves.
David Monahan, campaign director at Fairplay, added: “Shame on MGA for selling a toy in their kids’ Miniverse line that blatantly promotes drinking culture. Shame on Target and any retailer luring families for holiday shopping and then promoting a harmful product like MGA ‘Happy Hour’.
“This holiday season, families deserve better. We call on MGA to stop manufacturing its ‘Happy Hour’ toy at once, and on Target and other retailers to immediately stop selling it.”
Alcohol Justice has also urged the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (Discus) to take against the products.
“Whatever the toy company thinks should be the audience, these plastic cocktails are obviously toys. Children will understand them as toys. And that encourages them to think of real alcoholic drinks as toys,” said Carson Benowitz-Fredericks, research director at Alcohol Justice. “If MGA does not understand this, then they’re grossly negligent. If they do understand it, then they’ve decided to put kids in danger just to make a buck.”
The Spirits Business has reached out to MGA Entertainment for comment.
In 2022, 85% of complaints about alcohol packaging and marketing in the UK were related to their appeal to children.
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