"We have located the culprit, and it was us..."

I hope I'm not alone in scratching my head on this one.

From the WSJ:

Mattel Apologizes to China Over Recall

BEIJING – Toymaker Mattel issued an extraordinary apology to China on Friday over the recall of Chinese-made toys, saying most of the items were defective because of Mattel's design flaws rather than faulty manufacturing. The company added that it had recalled more lead-tainted Chinese toys than was justified.
...
Mattel ordered three high-profile recalls this summer of millions of Chinese-made toys, including Barbie doll accessories and toy cars, because of concerns about lead paint and tiny magnets that could be swallowed. The "vast majority of those products that were recalled were the result of a design flaw in Mattel's design, not through a manufacturing flaw in China's manufacturers," Mr. Debrowski said. Lead-tainted toys accounted for only a small percentage of all toys recalled, he said. "We understand and appreciate deeply the issues that this has caused for the reputation of Chinese manufacturers," he said.

Mattel said in a statement its lead-related recalls were "overly inclusive, including toys that may not have had lead in paint in excess of the U.S. standards. The follow-up inspections also confirmed that part of the recalled toys complied with the U.S. standards."

So... here's my question - What the hell was behind this reversal?

did Mattel just find Jesus? Were they scapegoating China and just got caught? Did China put the screws to them so they would play nice?

I mean, what the heck are we supposed to believe about this mess? Mattel designed killer magnets and recalled toys with safe levels of lead paint?