whose battery-powered mouth has ensnared fingers and hair of some North American children.

Mattel Inc. is withdrawing its Cabbage Patch Kids Snacktime doll in response to about 100 such reports, American media reported this week.

But Toys 'N' Stuff buyer Carol Bromby stressed that while a dozen of the dolls had been sold over the Christmas period, not a single complaint had been received locally.

She added there was no safety risk because there was no mechanism capable of cutting in the dolls.

She said she had only heard about the recall on television but had not been informed of it by Mattel.

Problems have occurred with only a fraction of the 500,000 dolls sold, the Associated Press article continued, and testing has failed to find any safety hazard associated with the dolls.

"Nonetheless, we remain deeply concerned with the satisfaction of all our consumers and in maintaining their longstanding confidence in the safety and value of our toys,'' Mattel's chief operating officer, Jill Barad said.

The doll has mechanical jaws that move when it is fed the plastic carrots and french fries that come with it. But in some cases the doll clamped onto the fingers and hair of children and wouldn't let go.

"We recognise that these incidents can be upsetting to children and adults, and we are pleased with the actions being taken by Mattel,'' Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairwoman Ann Brown said.