Dangerous toymaker "Irwin Mainway," as played by Dan Aykroyd in the SNL sketch.

In the Alpine tradition, St. Nicholas rewards good children with Christmas presents while his menacing and bestial sidekick, Krampus, punishes the naughty by abducting them or beating them with switches.

Krampus could avoid a lot of legal trouble if he simply delivered dangerous toys to the undeserving tots. If you read Saturday’s Savvy Consumer column, you know there are plenty to choose from. Here’s a little more background — and links — on toy safety.

Last week, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group released its annual “Trouble in Toyland” report on hazardous toys. The good news, according to the watchdog group, is that the Consumer Product Safety Commission is doing a better job keeping dangerous products, including toys, out of American stores and homes. The bad news is that there’s still plenty of unsafe playthings on the market.

From the column:

The research group’s undercover shoppers visited national toy stores and other retailers in September and October and found plenty of merchandise that violates federal toy safety rules.

The report focused on three hazards: toys containing small parts and not warning of the choking hazard they present; playthings that make noises so loud that they could damage hearing; and toys containing illegal levels of lead and phthalates - additives that make plastic more flexible and long-lasting, but can be harmful in high concentrations.

If you’re worried about whether you might be buying a dangerous today, U.S. PIRG now offers a nifty online tool that allows you to check the group’s database of dangerous toys from the store via a smart phone: toysafety.mobi.

The Saturday column also included the annual list from Boston-based W.A.T.C.H. — that’s World Against Toys Causing Harm — of the 10 most dangerous toys on the market. Here it is again:

• Disney’s WALL-E rocket launcher - This toy, which sells for $9.50, uses air pressure to fire a foam missile as far as 20 feet. W.A.T.C.H. channels mothers everywhere, saying the toy can put your eye out. The group also warns that the packaging is confusing by stating that the toy is “for all ages” and “not recommended for children under 3 years of age.”
• Moon Board - A cross between a pogo stick and a skateboard, this potential concussion-maker sells for $29.99; recommended pads and helmet not included.
• Curious Baby/Curious George Counting - Marketed as infants’ “first book of numbers,” this $6.74 volume might also be baby’s first choking hazards if a built-in, wooden-bead rattle were separated from the cardboard-like pages.
• The Dark Knight Batman figure - At 30 inches tall and molded from hard plastic, this $39.98 toy sports 1-inch, pointed ears on Batman’s cowl. It is sold without any warnings and offers “the potential for penetrating and blunt-force injuries,” said W.A.T.C.H.
• X-Men Origins Slashin’ Action Wolverine - This $14.99 action figure is sold for children as young as 4 as an “indestructible combat machine.” Wolverine’s right claw retracts on contact, but the left remains pointy and rigid and could be harmful to young children, the group said.
• Lots to Love Babies Mini Nursery - This $6.99 toy includes a doll, a bathtub and small plastic shower attachment that’s connected only by a thin plastic cord. Once detached, it’s a choking hazard.
• Just Kidz Junior Musical Instruments - For $15, you get a saxophone, a xylophone and a slender drumstick that could gag the 18-month-old children encouraged to play with this toy.
• CAT Rugged Mini - A miniature Caterpillar-brand construction vehicle, this $4.99 toy is sold for children as young as 18 months. But, after enough rough play, the wheels and axles can separate from the vehicle’s chassis and expose a 3-inch metal rod capable of causing serious puncture wounds.
• Pucci Pups Maltese - A cute and cuddly pet for young children, this $15 toy comes with a dog carrier and a leash that - at about 35 inches - is long enough to present a serious strangulation risk. The industry standard limit on strings for crib and playpen toys is 12 inches, says W.A.T.C.H.
• Spy Gear Viper-Blaster - Another potential eyeball-gouger, this $15.99 dart gun at least warns children not to shoot at one another’s face - not that many will listen, of course.