The officials accuse the companies of making or selling products that contain “unlawful quantities of lead.”

The move follows major recalls of toys, lunch boxes, children's jewelry and other goods during the last year by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington.

The suit, to be filed in Alameda County Superior Court, falls under California's Proposition 65 law and would force manufacturers and retailers to adopt procedures for inspecting products to make sure they are safe. Otherwise, they would be required to warn consumers that the items contained chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects.

Mattel, the lead defendant in the lawsuit, said it welcomed the attorney general's involvement and added that it would be helpful for the entire toy industry, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“Mattel expected this development and believes that the attorney general's assumption of this case will be beneficial to all parties,” a spokesperson for the El Segundo, Calif.-based company said in a statement. “The company has been in continuous communication with the California attorney general's office since the initiation of the recalls this summer and has cooperated fully.”

Proposition 65 allows the state to collect civil penalties of as much as $2,500 per day for each violation.

The companies are expected to settle by agreeing to conditions such as testing or putting independent monitors in foreign countries.