NEWS

EU Published A New Toy Safety Guidance document on disguise costumes

December 4, 2012, European Commission published the guidance document No.17 on the application of the Directive on the safety of toys carnival costumes (disguise costumes, fancy dress). This document is intended to provide guidelines to help Member States and stakeholders making the distinction between toys and dress up products.

Carnival costumes are products used to disguise and most children also use them to play the corresponding character (e.g. cowboy, policeman, princess and witch). If they are products designed or intended, whether or not exclusively, for use in play by children under 14 years of age they should be classified as toys - of course only if they are of a size which is suitable for children under 14 years. Carnival costumes for adults are no toys in the sense of the TSD (Toy Safety Directive).

On the market carnival costumes for children aged 0-1 year are sold with the CE-marking. However, babies are not even capable to dress themselves, it is impossible for them to have an idea what they are dressed as and to play this character. Carnival costumes for children aged 0-1 year clearly have no play value for the children and should therefore not be classified as toys. In case of an age range covering below and above 1 year, the product has to be regarded as a toy.

Please refer to the below link for detail:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/toys/files/guidance-documents/017-guidance-document-disguise-costumes_en.pdf