Fisher-Price, the US toy maker, is recalling more than 1m toys made in China because their paint may contain too much lead, marking the latest in a string of recalls that have fuelled US-China tensions over the safety of Chinese products.

The worldwide recall involves plastic pre-school toys, including replicas of popular children’s television characters such as the Cookie Monster, Elmo, Dora and Big Bird, which were manufactured in China and coated with paint that contains excessive amounts of lead.