Peppa Pig 'butchered' in Pre-Christmas blitz

The tinsel is in over-use, the carols are on repeat and little Jimmy has prepared his long list of demands for Santa.

And it seems Christmas shopping will be easy this year, because all little Jimmy really has his heart set on is a particularly pig-like toy.

But before you sprint to the aisles of your nearest toy shop and shoulder charge other desperate parents also on the hunt, it might be worth checking whether Jimmy’s favourite toy actually makes this year’s safety cut.

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With less than a month to go, 95 non-compliant toys have now been pulled from the shelves in a pre-Christmas crackdown across discount stores, markets and websites.

The culprits include a talking Thomas the Tank Engine toy and a Gangnam-style dream bus, said NSW Fair Trading Minister, Matthew Mason-Cox.

And if you didn’t think ABC’s Peppa Pig had received enough limelight this year, a similar-looking pink animal toy made this year’s blacklist.

“This particular Peppa Pig and family squeaky toy set appeared cute and harmless but when put through testing were found to present multiple hazards to small children, including choking or a child ingesting or inhaling them,’’ Mr Mason-Cox said.

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Less surprisingly, a super combat gun and an archery set were also seized, as they were found to ‘pose serious eye injuries to children.’

According to the NSW Department of Fair Trading, this year’s blitz saw a sharp rise in the number of non-compliance toys because online stores were targeted for the first time along side traditional retailers.

The majority of toys pulled from the shelves were those for children under the age of three, while 18 projective toys were found to have the potential to cause eye injuries.