SpinMaster needs a spin doctor

Parents who thought they were going to win Parent of the Year for buying their children the much sought-after Aquadots may be in for an even bigger shock than the initial recall: no refunds!

SpinMaster, distributor of the hazardous toys, recalled about 4.2 million units earlier this month after children consuming the product slipped into comas.

Instead of offering a refund for the $17-30 toy, the website is instead offering "free replacement beads or a toy of equal value." Probably not the best PR/crisis management tactic to deal with millions of people, eh?

An Arkansas couple is suing over the lack of monetary retribution, saying, "Consumers do not want, nor should they be forced to accept, another toy from the same company that has been irresponsibly marketing and selling poison to their children.”

So be sure to trade in your date rape drug-coated, candy-like dots for some replacement dots in time for the holidays!

Date rape stylee

Scientists found Wednesday that millions of children's toys contain a date rape drug. Two children in the U.S. and three in Australia were hospitalized after swallowing the beads; the two American children went into nonresponsive comas.

Aqua Dots, a highly popular holiday toy distributed by Toronto-based Spin Master Toys, is the American version of the toys; in Australia, they're called Bindeez. They are beads made into art projects that when sprayed with water, they stick together.

But children ingesting the beads with low doses of GHB can experience "euphoria, increased enjoyment of movement and music, increased libido, increased sociability and intoxication." Trippy, man.