The Guangdong Toy Industry Association has decided to ban production of some questionable toys and control the toy production at the province's numerous toy manufacturers, China Daily said Tuesday in a report.

New regulations will come into effect before the end of the year.

The toys, some splattered with fake blood and including imitations of human organs, are spreading in popularity and appearing on local primary and middle school campuses. They are distracting students from classwork and alarming them, according to an official from the association yesterday.

The blood-splatter toys include representations of human fingers, hearts, eyes, ears, breasts and even sexual organs, as well as other horrific toys, the official who asked not to be identified told China Daily Monday.

"They have now become birthday gifts and graduation mementoes for students," the official said.

The ban aims to further protect both the physical and mental well-being of children, the official added.

The blood-splattered toys are now being sold in many toy bazaars, wholesale markets and special stores.

The decision came after the association received many complaints from parents and teachers from across the province who believed the toys have affected the students' performance.

A father surnamed Zheng said his 10-year-old daughter was so scared after she was given a "broken bleeding finger" as a birthday gift in school in Guangzhou's Yuexiu District last week that she burst into tears.

The Guangdong Toy Industry Association has decided to team up with local industrial and commercial administrations and quality and technological supervision bureaux to launch a provincial inspection at all toy bazaars and stores.
  
(China Daily June 1, 2004)