-
Recalled Bug Zapper toys
The balloon tongues and the cylinders holding the tongues on these toys can detach, posing a choking and aspiration hazard to young children.
About 835,000
Recall Details
WASHINGTON, D.C.- In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), eight firms are voluntarily recalling about 835,000 Zapper toys. The following firms distributed these toys: Bonita Marie International Inc., of Manasquan, N.J.; Dillon Importing Co., of Oklahoma City, Okla.; Oriental Trading Co. Inc., of Omaha, Neb.; Play By Play Toys & Novelties Inc., of San Antonio, Texas; Rhode Island Novelty, of Johnston, R.I.; Sherman Specialty Co. Inc., of Merrick, N.Y.; Toy Investment Inc., of Kent, Wash.; and U.S. Toy Co. Inc., of Grandview, Mo. The balloon tongues and the cylinders holding the tongues on these toys can detach, posing a choking and aspiration hazard to young children.
The Promotional Resources Group of Companies Inc., of Topeka, Kan., previously recalled about 105,000 Bug Zapper toys on June 6, 2000. That company received a report of a 3-year-old boy who inhaled a balloon tongue that detached from a Zapper toy into his sinus cavity. He required medical treatment to remove the part from his nose.
The vinyl Zapper toys are about 2- to 3-inches long, and come in 12 different styles: smiley face, globe with glasses, troll, bumble bee, lion, bear, tiger, raspberry face, fish, frog, snake, and lizard. When the toy is squeezed, the balloon tongue attached to its mouth inflates or rolls out. "CHINA" or "MADE IN CHINA" is molded into the toy.
Toy stores, doctor and dentist offices, and carnivals and circuses sold and distributed these toys from October 1998 through March 2001. They were sold for about $1.
Consumers should immediately take these toys away from young children and take them back to where they were purchased for a refund, or throw them away. If consumers have questions, call CPSC at (800) 638- 2772 anytime.
Consumers should immediately take these toys away from young children and take them back to where they were purchased for a refund, or throw them away.
The Promotional Resources Group of Companies Inc., of Topeka, Kan., previously recalled about 105,000 Bug Zapper toys on June 6, 2000. That company received a report of a 3-year-old boy who inhaled a balloon tongue that detached from a Zapper toy into his sinus cavity. He required medical treatment to remove the part from his nose.
Note: Individual Commissioners may have statements related to this topic. Please visit www.cpsc.gov/commissioners to search for statements related to this or other topics.
Related Recalls
The helmets do not comply with the positional stability, dynamic strength of retention system, impact attenuation, and certification requirements in violation of the CPSC federal safety regulation for bicycle helmets. The helmets can fail to protect in the event of a crash, posing a risk of head injury.
The portable fuel bottles do not meet the child-resistant requirements for closures under the Children's Gasoline Burn Prevention Act (CGBPA). The closure for the products is not child-resistant, posing a risk of burn and poisoning to children.
The speaker’s lithium-ion battery can overheat and catch fire, posing burn and fire hazards to consumers.
The recalled baby nests violate the safety requirements of CPSC’s Safety Standard for Infant Sleep Products, posing a suffocation risk and fall and entrapment hazards to infants. The failures include not having a stand and not meeting the requirements for side height, sleeping pad thickness, and fabric-sided openings. The product’s sides are shorter than the minimum side height limit; the sleeping pad’s thickness exceeds the maximum limit; and an infant could fall out of an enclosed opening at the foot of the lounger or become entrapped.
Additionally, the baby nest designs with head pillows violate the Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2021’s ban on inclined sleepers for infants because their sleep surfaces are inclined greater than ten degrees. Infant fatalities have occurred in inclined sleepers, after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained, or under other circumstances.
Infants can suffocate if they roll or move on the crib bumper in a position that obstructs breathing. Padded crib bumpers are banned under the Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2021.
The recalled children’s pajamas violate the flammability regulations for children’s sleepwear, posing a risk of burn injuries to children.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risk of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product-related incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products has contributed to a decline in the rate of injuries associated with consumer products over the past 50 years.
Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with the CPSC.
- Visit CPSC.gov.
- Sign up to receive our e-mail alerts.
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram @USCPSC and Twitter @USCPSC.
- Report a dangerous product or product-related injury on www.SaferProducts.gov.
- Call CPSC’s Hotline at 800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054).
- Contact a media specialist.
