Story Archive

Salvage Effort

“It kinda made me mad,” said Mandy Vaughn of Marietta, Ga. Her mother had given Vaughn’s 3-year-old son a Mattel “Matchbox” tow truck, which had a toll-free number printed on it. When Vaughn’s mother called the number at her suggestion, she was “very shocked” — “It was a sex line.” When Mattel was asked to comment, they said they didn’t know about the gaffe, but said the company now has a policy “prohibiting the inclusion of phone numbers on toys.” Mattel says the toy truck in question was produced in the year 2000, and is no longer made. It is only available via “secondary markets” like auction web sites. (RC/WXIA Atlanta) ...Where its value just shot up.
Original Publication Date: 04 September 2011
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 18.

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