
Counterfeit Minions yoyos and dolls of characters from Frozen were among more than 9,000 items seized by Manchester City Council Trading Standards from a single wholesaler.
Import Export Wholesale Poundline Plus Limited and company manager Tommy Zheng were also fined a total of almost £6,000 when both parties pleaded guilty to trademark and safety offences at Manchester Magistrates Court.
Items seized revealed a number of problems including high levels of phthalates, which are toxic if ingested, detachable small parts that could be a choking hazard and plastic materials that were too thin and could cause suffocation.
Company manager Tommy Zheng was ordered to undertake 200 hours unpaid work and to pay £1,000 in costs. The company was fined £1,400 and ordered to pay costs of £3,107.