WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Girl finds homemade knife inside a Christmas present

Girl finds homemade knife inside a Christmas present

SUMTER, SC (WIS) - It was a scary Christmas morning for a 7-year-old girl opening gifts in Sumter who found a blade inside one of her toys.

Now her parents want some answers from the toy's maker and the store that sold it to them, and WIS News 10 has spoken to both Mattel and Wal-Mart about this incident.    

A Polly Pocket plane set was all 7-year-old Corrine wanted for Christmas.

"It says it's a giant big jet, it comes with Polly and Jess," says Corrine Compton.

All the loose pieces would have to be assembled by mom.

But when Corrine opened the present, she found a piece not mentioned on the box.

"It's a little shank. I mean look at it!" says Corrine.

Wrapped in electrical tape is a blade. Corrine's mom says she found it wedged inside a space for the plane's walkway.

"It was hidden," says Kimberly Compton. "The things completely sealed up, wrapped in a box. How did it get there?"

The Polly Pocket set is made by Mattel, and was bought at a Sumter Wal-Mart. But mom says the box was glued closed until Corrine opened it, and the plane was sealed in a plastic bag.
 
So, it's unclear when or how the blade might've gotten inside. And it certainly was not what Corrine expected.

"I thought it was not going to have a shank in it," she told WIS News 10.

"She's like, can I play with my toy? No, you can't play with it right now. Let's take it back," says Kimberly. "I mean we have a shank in the toys now."

The mother returned the toy to Wal-Mart Wednesday. Kimberly says they are refusing a refund, saying they want answers on how this could have happened.

Wal-Mart's corporate office tells WIS News 10 they are going to investigate how this could have happened. 

A spokesperson for Mattel says that they believe this is an isolated incident.  Mattel won't confirm that it happened at the manufacturing plant, saying it could have happened in packaging as well.  The company has offered to replace the toy and is looking into how this could have happened.

Reported by Dan Tordjman

Posted by Logan Smith