Coolest Toys » Recalls

Final round of Toy recalls for 2011

James — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:00:19 +0000

To finish out 2011, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a series of toy recalls which covers everything from choking hazards to flammability issues. Here’s a brief rundown …

1. Colorful Hearts Teddy Bears – Build-a-Bear has recalled nearly 300,000 Colorful Hearts Teddy Bears for a potential choking hazard of black plastic eyes which can loses and fall off. The recall also includes over 13,000 sold in Canada and recalled by the Canadian agency Health Canada. Sold at Build-A-Bear from April 2011 to December 2011, the Colorful Hearts Teddy is about 16 inches high and is covered with multi-colored hearts.

Consumers should immediately take the recalled teddy bear away from children and return it to any Build-A-Bear store for a replacement coupon good for any available stuffed animal from Build-A-Bear. For more information, contact Build-A-Bear at 866-236-5683 or visit http://www.BuildABear.com.

2. Hanna Andersson Fleece Robes – About 1,000 fleece robes from Hanna Andersson of Portland, Ore. were recalled for failure to meet the U.S. safety standards for flammability and pose a risk of burn injuries to children. Sold at Hanna Andersson retail stores, catalogs, and the Hanna Andersson website from September 2011 through November 2011 for about $50, the robes are white fleece robes with large multi-color dots and were sold with children’s sizes 80-150 cm (24 months through size 14) and with “Style 38310 Hanna Andersson” printed on the neck tag of the robes.

The robes should be returend to Hanna Anderson immediately for a full refund, exchange or store credit. For additional information, call Hanna Andersson at 800-222-0544 or visit http://www.HannaAndersson.com.

3. Petit Lem Pajamas – another flame hazard recall is directed towards two-piece, cotton shorts and short-sleeved sleepwear sold by Petit Lem in sizes 2 to 12. The pajamas are blue with flowers, white with flowers and dots, yellow with umbrellas, or pink with butterflies and fairies with Petit Lem Lounge printed in the inside neck of the shirt. The sleepware was sold at specialty children’s stores and websites from January 2009 to November 2009 for about $30.

For a full refund, exchange or store credit, visit the Petit Lem website: http://www.petitlem.com.

4. Bugaboo Bee Strollers – Finally, nearly 7500 Bugaboo Bee Strollers due to front wheels which can lock suddenly and cause the stroller to tip over and harm infant occupants. The strollers, sold in two frame colors—silver and all black—with a stroller seat in black or denim colors, have various colors including yellow, black, khaki, blue, pink, red, tangerine, soft pink, light green, dark purple, denim and the Missoni print collection. They were sold at Toys R Us, Buy Buy Baby and other baby product stores, as well as online between February 2011 and September 2011 for about $650.

Consumers are advised to stop using the strollers immediately and contact Bugaboo or the retailer for free replacement swivel wheels. For more information contact Bugaboo at 800-460-2922 or visit http://www.bugaboo.com/non-swiveling-wheels.

Hat Tip – Consumer Reports

Toy recall for Build-A-Bear Swimsuit

James — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:00:30 +0000

Ordinarily, you wouldn’t think that an accessory which your Build-A-Bear wears would have the potential for a recall, but as any parent can tell you, a small child will stick just about anything in their mouth or get their head stuck in it. Which is why the Consumer Product Safety Commission has worked with the stuffed toy retailer to recall nearly 20,000 Teddy Bear Swimwear Sets with Inflatable Inner Tubes. Here are the details …

According to the CPSC, the PVC plastic inner tube that comes with the swimwear set can end up pulled over a small child’s head and represent a choking hazard, or at the very be very problematic to remove. Coming as part of a three-piece Bikini and Tutu, the inner tube is 9 inches in diameter, and has white and yellow flowers on a pink background. Concerned parents should look for the model number (017220), which is labled the cardboard price tag. If that’s been removed and discarded, parents should errr on the side of caution and return it to any Build-A-Bear Workshop store for a free $5.00 gift card.

For more information, contact the Build-A-Bear store nearest you or visit the Build-A-Bear website.

Other toy recalls for 2011 can also be found here.

Hat Tip – About Toys

Another Disney toy suffers product recall

James — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:22:02 +0000

et another Disney toy product is being recalled for safety issues. This time, it’s 12,000 Disney Fairies plastic racing tricycles, which have a handlebar which can handlebar pose a laceration hazard if a child falls from trike and lands on top of it.

It doesn’t take but a cursory look at the tricycle to see the problem. There are several rotating fairy figures, including Tinkerbell that rest on the top of the handlebars right in the way should a child fall. And while a child may not get cut upon them, it’s painfully obvious to CT that it’ll certainly hurt to hand upon them. Sometimes we wonder who thinks up these things and, more importantly, who doesn’t see the danger at Disney? I know, they’re probably thinking that a tricycle is such a stable platform, there is no way a child will go head over heals and land on that handlebar. Still, the danger is there.

The trike is green, purple and white, with yellow wheels. “Disney Fairies” is printed in the front directly below the handlebar. It was sold at Target stores from July through December of 2009 for around $50. If your child plays on one, you are advised to take the toy away and contact Kiddieland at 800-430-5307 or visit their website www.kiddieland.com.hk for a free replacement handlebar.

Recall: Ikea Folding Tent

James — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:00:10 +0000

This folding tent from IKEA has been recalled

Ikea has issued a recall on this cubed folding tent. A total of 65,000 of these BUSA children’s folding tents (58,000 in the United States. 7,000 more tents are being recalled in Canada) are part of the recall and pertain to the foldable steel wire frame, which has been reported to break, causing sharp points to cut and stab young children.

The tent, which is sold at IKEA stores under both BUSA and IKEA labels from August 2011 through September 2011, is model #90192009, and can be found on the sewn interior label attached to the seam of the tent. As you can see from the image above, the tent is made with green fabric with red and white trim. The metal, known as “memory metal” is sewn into the seams that wrap around the perimeter of the cube in all directions and is used to maintain it’s cubed shape when not collapsed and in storage. To date, there have been three incidents of the metal framing breaking and causing one injury.

The tent was sold at IKEA stores Parents are advised to take the item away from children and return it to their local IKEA store for a full refund. For more information, contact IKEA at (888) 966-4532 or visit their website www.ikea-usa.com.

Hat Tip – About Toys

Little Tikes gets massive toy recall for the second time

James — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:15:55 +0000

When I saw this story I thought … well duh! A recall has been issued for nearly 2 million Little Tikes Workshops and Tool Sets by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission today. The recall revolves around oversized plastic toys nails in the set that can pose as a choking hazard for children. But what’s troubling is that this recall was issued once before for the same problem.

The current recall is over oversized, plastic toy nails that are red or blue in color and about 3 1/4 inches long by 1 1/4 inch in diameter and affect 11 additional models of the Little Tikes Workshop. The models were sold between 1990 and 2004, for about $20-100. Model numbers include 4491 (Workshop), 4601 (Deluxe Workshop) 0827 (Carry Along Workshop), 4765 (Revv ‘n Roar Mechanics Workshop), 0627 (Carry Along Tool Caddy),
4174 (Home Center Workshop), 4789 (Workbench) , 4071 (Little Tikes Workshop), 0014 (Kohl’s Workshop Tool Set), 4497 (Menard’s Home Center Workshop), and 4201 (Action Power Workshop).

The red and blue nails have two ridges and a split point which is designed to fit snugly into the holes the child would pound into. But prior to 2009, there were several incidents where children swallowed the nails prompting a trip to the hospital. There’s not word as to why these 11 additional sets weren’t included in the recall of 1.6 million sets in 2009, but parents are encouraged to take the toys away from children and contact Little Tikes immediately for a replacement set of redesigned nails. Little Tikes can be reached at (800) 321-0183, with hours between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or by visiting the company’s website.

Hat Tip – USCPSC

More toy recalls announced

James — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 23:02:48 +0000

Here are a pair of recalls parents should be made aware of …

The first is for a baby rattle made by Manhattan Toy. About 3,000 of the painted wood “Twirlla” rattles are being recalled due to reports that the u-shaped rattle can break apart and pose a significant choking risk to infants. As you can tell by the design, the rattle spins around a central axis and makes a rattling noise as each part bumps into the other. The recalled rattles were sold from March 2011 through July 2011 in baby and gift specialty stores, and online at ManhattanToy.com. The rattles should taken away from children immediately, and parents should contact the store purchased for a return and full refund. For additional information, contact Manhattan Group at (800) 541-1345 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s website at www.ManhattanToy.com.

The second recall after the jump …

The second recall is for around 5,500 Playsafe Dartmouth Swing Sets from Pacific Cycle which were exclusively at Toys “R” Us from January 2011 through May 2011. . The recall pertains to the sets sling style swings, which can break or separate from heavy use and have resulted in at least 5 reports of minor injuries. The recall affects model number 22-PS340 with date codes FSD0115AA and FSD0315AA. To verify if your Dartmouth Swing Set is affect, check with your owners manual for the proper corresponding date codes. Consumers are advised to remove the seats from the swing set and contact Pacific Cycle at (877) 564-2261 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at www.pacific-cycle.com or email customerservice@pacific-cycle.com, where they will receive replacement seats.

Hat Tip – About Toy Blog (here and here)

Radio Flyer issues recall …

James — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:00:38 +0000

Little red wagon maker Radio Flyer has issued a recall on 165,000 Radio Flyer Scoot ‘n Zoom riding toys. The recall covers the ride-one toy for falling dangers which can occur due t it’s high center of gravity design.

The Scoot n’ Zoom Flyer measures 19 inches long, 11 inches wide and 13.5 inches tall. And as a result, children sit pretty high in the saddle and can fall forward either during a turn or sudden stop.

Sold at Walmart and other online retailers such as Amazon.com and Target.com from August 2010 through August 2011, the riding toy retailed for about $20. The recall covers model number 711, which can be found molded on the underside of the toy. Model #711B are not recalled. Parents are advised to take the toy away immediately and contact Radio Flyer for a free replacement or a full refund.

For additional information, contact Radio Flyer at (800) 621-7613 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the company’s website at www.radioflyer.com

Hat Tip – About Toys

Fisher-Price recalls toy wagons

James — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 21:16:09 +0000

When parents are shopping for a toddler toy, the first name that usually comes to mind is Fisher-Price. And nearly always they never equate a Fisher-Price toy with a potential safety hazard to their children. But with mass produced toys, sometimes it happens, and the toy maker has joined the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada in issuing a product recall of up to 211,000 Little People Builders Load n Go Wagons due to laceration hazards.

The hazard was discovered after seven reports, including five in which children required stitches or further surgery, of children falling off the wagons and receiving lacerations.

The Wagon model in question (note the yellow handle) is model P8977 and was sold from June 2009 through July 2011. The toy includes multi-colored plastic blogs and a toy dog action figure. Note that if your wagon has a green handle, it is NOT affected by the recall and there is no known danger to that particular model.

Consumers whose children do have model P8977 (again, the yellow handled model) are advised to take the toy immediately away from your child and contact Fisher-Price/Mattel (800-432-5437, www.service.mattel.com) for instructions on how to obtain a free repair kit.

For further information, check out the CPSC website or Health Canada.

Hat Tip – Consumer Reports

Disney Pogo Stick Recalled

James — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:00:01 +0000

Nearly 160,000 Pogo Sticks, made for Disney by Bravo Sports, have been recalled. The sticks have a rubber bottom that can wear down and cause the user to lose balance and fall. In addition to the wearing rubber bottom, exposed sharp edges have also been identified on the edges of the handlebars which could cause a potential laceration hazard.

The models included in the recall are as follows …

Models included: Disney Hannah Montana Pogo Stick, the Disney/Pixar Toy Story Cruising Cool Pogo Stick, the Disney/Pixar Cars Pogo Stick, the Disney Princess Pogo Stick and the Disney Fairies Cruising Cool Pogo Stick. Look for manufacturing date codes between 01/01/2009-022CO and 11/30/2010-022CO.

The recall was prompted by a child who fell as a result, fracturing her skull and chipping a tooth. Four other children have also been injured using the toy, with 82 other reports to the Consumer Product Safety Commission of issues causing falls to children.

The pogo sticks were sold at Burlington Coat Factory, Kmart, Kohls.com, Target and Toys R Us from February 2009 through June 2011 for about $20. Consumers are advised to stop using the pogo stick immediately and contact Bravo Sports at (855) 469-3429 between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT for a full refund.

Hat Tip – About Toys

Adventure Playsets recalls Wooden Fort-Swing Sets

James — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:23:06 +0000

If you have an Adventure Playset wood fort and swing set, you may want to check with the manufacturer to see if it’s part of a recall. Nearly a quarter million units, from 11 different models, have been recalled due to rot of wooden planks which could lead to a falling hazard.

Models affected include: Bellevue, Bellevue II, Belmont, Durango, Durango II, Sedona, Tacoma, Tacoma II, Ventura, Venture II and Yukon. Each unit comes with a swing, fort structure, slides and a ladder. Like most fort style playsets, it comes with a green nylon fabric roof covering that’s been plastic coated. The unit’s wooden parts can rot and collapse which could cause major injury if a child is playing in it at the wrong moment. The set was sold between 2005-2007 for between $300-600.

Users should stop using the swing immediately and contact Adventure Playsets for a free repair kit. The kit includes properly treated replacement posts and directions on how to dissamble, replace and reassemble the swing set. Adventure Playsets can be reached toll free at (877) 840-9068 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, visiting the firm’s website at www.recall.adventureplaysets.com or by email at custservice@adventureplayets.com.

Hat Tip – About Toys