Fewer Toys Under the Tree This Year?

Nov. 23, 2007 — -- The official start of the Christmas shopping season begins today, and children's toys are at the top of the list for many people.

For the last few months, however, many parents have faced enormous anxiety as millions of the most popular kids toys have been pulled from shelves because of high lead levels or other dangers.

Toys 'R' Us CEO Gerald Storch told "Good Morning America" today that the giant retailer has taken every precaution to remove recalled toys from the store's shelves.

"First, I'd like to reassure parents we have been very thorough in removing all the recalled toys from our shelves," Storch said. "We've been incredibly aggressive with our toy community, the vendors and the manufacturer who produce the toys. We told them we don't want toys that do not meet our safety standards. We've terminated two vendors already this year and had some very tough conversations with others."

Up to 45 percent of American shoppers say they plan to avoid buying toys from China this holiday season, according to a Harris Interactive poll.

Storch said that he is not expecting a drop in sales because of safety concerns.

"Even when economic times are bad, parents always buy toys for their children," he said.

Although nearly 80 percent of all the toys sold in the United States are made in China, Storch said there are plenty of other options at Toys 'R' Us.

"We have thousands of toys not made in China. Legos are a great example," he said. "Connects are made in the U.S. Legos are made in Scandinavia. We have Play Mobile, made in Germany. We have toys from Canada, from Mexico, from all over the world."

Storch also made some predictions about this season's hottest-selling toys.

The Hannah Montana doll that sings her signature song is huge, especially with little girls. "The whole rock-star craze is unbelievable, but Hannah Montana tops the list," Storch said.