Sophie the giraffe
Sophie the giraffe ( French Sophie la girafe ) is a toy for toddlers created by Société Delacoste in 1961 . Delacoste was heir to Société Derolland, which had been making rubber animal figures in Asnières-sur-Oise since 1862 . Sophie became a cult object in France. It is now produced by Vulli in Rumilly , Haute-Savoie , a company that bought the company in 1981 before Delacoste relocated production in the early 1990s.
history
According to the manufacturer, this toy was designed by a certain M. Rampeau, a specialist in processing natural rubber. Various sources say that the Delacoste company tried to bring a first 46 cm giraffe called Zoë to the market as early as 1959 . Commercial success did not materialize until Sophie's “baptism” on May 25, 1961. With the success of Sophie, the manufacturers tried new successes with the Mona and Cleo versions , 22 and 31 cm respectively, but had less success with them.
In 1981 the company had bought Vulli Delacoste and had production facilities in the Paris region before moving to Rumilly in 1991. The closure of the old production facility in 1993 was not without its problems in cleaning up pollution.
In 2001, ten million copies were sold. In 2010 the 50 millionth Sophie left the production line. In 2009, 800,000 copies of the toy were sold mainly in France but also in 40 countries.
The giraffe made of natural rubber is soft, 18 cm high, speckled black and brown, hollow, with a whistle inside that creates a characteristic squeak. It is intended for a few months old and supports various aspects of its development. The model has hardly changed in appearance since its invention.
According to the manufacturer, the toy demands all of the baby's senses: the gaze with its contrasting colors, the sense of touch with its relief areas (it is easy to grasp thanks to its size and shape), the articulation of sounds with its pipe, but also smell and Taste, thanks to the 100% pure natural rubber. The colors used correspond to high quality food colors, so that the toy itself can be chewed safely.
criticism
Not only did the French consumer magazine Que Choisir find nitrosable amines in a test that exceeded the German limit values, the magazine Öko-Test also reported in its November 2011 issue that the toy was not marketable in Germany because the limit values for nitrosable substances were exceeded . Nitrosatable amines are particularly dangerous because they can convert into carcinogenic nitrosamines . This report was prohibited by the Berlin Regional Court by way of an injunction. On January 17, 2012, the Berlin Regional Court revoked the injunction it had previously issued. Öko-Test can now say again: "Sophie la Girafe: not marketable". In a press release, the manufacturer Vulli referred to test results from other institutes that demonstrate compliance with all limit values. In any case, the measured values were not disputed in court. In an initial reaction to the test, Vulli stated that Sophie was "last checked in July 2011". It was found to be around “0.5 mg / kg for nitrosatable substances”. “These results also match the test results from Öko-Test,” Vulli continues. Öko-Test found "(...) 0.781 mg / kg nitrosatable substances". The only disputed question was whether the German Consumer Goods Ordinance should be applied, which sets a limit value of 0.1 milligrams per kilogram for soluble nitrosable amines (whereby ÖKO-TEST is in the right), or Annex II Part 3 of the EU Toy Directive, which With 1 milligram per kilogram, a value ten times as high is allowed, which Vulli would be right. The background to this is a so-called notification procedure initiated by the federal government with the aim of being able to apply the stricter limit values in Germany despite the less stringent EU toy directive. It was not until March 1, 2012 (C (2012) 1348 final) that the EU Commission granted this application. Until then, the Federal Government's motion had no effect.
As of December 2011, Vulli changed the Sophies production process so that the stricter German limit values are safely adhered to. For the two production batches delivered to German retailers in December 2011 and March 2012, this is confirmed by independent testing laboratories and official sampling. After it was established in March 2012 that specimens from an older production were still available in stores, the Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Office Stuttgart (CVUA) examined these older products. The first test showed that the limit value applicable for production in Germany was exceeded by around 18 times. This value would even have exceeded the limit values according to the EU directive. When the counter sample was examined by an independent testing laboratory, however, this excess could not be confirmed.
In May 2012, the manufacturer Vulli and the German sales department decided to voluntarily recall the Berlin company Elements for Kids (EFK) all products that were delivered to retailers before December 20, 2011. These products can be exchanged for examples from current production where they were purchased. In addition to Sophie la Girafe, the exchange offer also includes similar products made by Vulli: The So'Pure teether, the great Sophie and Sophie's friends Chan, Pie and Gnon.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Karine Vandroux, Les “pouêt” en caoutchouc, Ou l'aventure des jouets couineurs ( Memento of the original from January 25, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in Jouet Mag , Musée du jouet de Moirans , February 27, 2003.
- ↑ a b c Damien Delseny, Sophie la girafe fête ses 40 ans in Le Parisien , May 25, 2001
- ↑ a b c Bébé: Sophie la girafe fête ses 50 printemps en 2011 in La Dépêche du Midi , December 30, 2010.
- ↑ a b c d Sophie la Girafe vous dévoile ses secrets de fabrication in Le Dauphiné libéré , December 24, 2010
- ↑ Kevin Jayat, L'objet: La girafe Sophie ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in collision , on Arte , March 22, 2009.
- ↑ Aurélie Foulon, La Dépollution de l'usine de Sophie la girafe avance in Le Parisien , May 2, 2002
- ↑ LA, Le berceau de Sophie la girafe in Le Parisien , June 10, 2008.
- ↑ The court cancels the injunction. (No longer available online.) Öko-Test Online, January 24, 2012, archived from the original on May 17, 2012 ; Retrieved January 25, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Press release from Vulli at rosenzwerge.de ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 232 kB)
