Gecko Hottie and CE Toy Testing

So if you follow me on Facebook then you will know that I have been going gecko crazy. 

I made my first gecko hottie as a present for Mr Mouse and everyone loved him. Now making a gecko hottie for the purpose sale became a little more complicated as the EU Toy Safety Directive (2009/48/EC) became involved. You can read more information about the directive here 
The European Directive is transposed into UK law via The Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 which can be read here 

What has this got to do with the gecko? Well because its obviously going to appeal to children it needed to be tested to ensure its safety and bear the CE mark. Testing required it past specific standards - EN71 specifies the safety requirements of toys in the case of the gecko it needed to pass 3 of these standards:

• EN 71-1: Mechanical and physical properties
• EN 71-2: Flammability
• EN 71-3: Specification for migration of certain elements

To help me work out what I needed to do I was able to buy a pack from a company called Conformance Ltd the pack was call Self Certification for Handmade Toys.

So here goes:

Here is test gecko being made ready for testing

EN71-1: Mechanical and physical properties 

This involved testing the seams with weights and poking the seams to make sure that the insides well stayed inside.

EN71-2: Flammability 

Involved taking a flame to poor test gecko.

EN71-3: Chemical Migration

Now this isn't something that you can do at home (unless you have a secret lab and erm some kind of chemical degree!). But some manufactures are happy to provide certificates for their fabrics demonstrating that they have past this standard, or you can send off fabric samples to be tested (which can get a little pricey, some people club together to share these costs).
 

So here are gecko ready for new homes

Contains organic wheat and French dried lavender (if you would prefer one without lavender please contact me for a custom order).

The legal stuff -
Warnings:
Not suitable for children under three years
To be used under direct supervision of an adult
This product can cause burns, avoid prolonged direct contact with the skin
Do not ingest the contents
Do not over heat
For microwave use only

Conforms to European Toy Safety Directive 2990/48/EC (compliance demonstrated with the relevant parts of BS EN71 (EN 71 - 1/2/3) and bears the CE mark.

Made using a FUNKY FRIENDS FACTORY original design.
http://www.funkyfriendsfactory.com

Sorry I can only send these within Europe.

Measurements (approx):
44 cm long
25 cm at widest point