The Recall Desk
Our severity:HighCPSC·01110·Announced 2001-03-19

CPSC Recalls Bug Zapper Toys Due to Choking Hazard

Eight firms are recalling about 835,000 Bug Zapper toys because balloon tongues can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 3/5 (High).

Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a choking hazard for young children with a reported injury (medical treatment required) but no reported deaths, fitting the 'High' severity criteria for risk-of-harm products.

Plain-English summary

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and eight firms are recalling about 835,000 Bug Zapper toys. These vinyl toys, which are 2 to 3 inches long and come in 12 styles, were manufactured in China. The recall is due to a defect where the balloon tongues and the cylinders holding them can detach, creating a choking and aspiration hazard for young children.

The toys were sold for about $1 between October 1998 and March 2001 at toy stores, doctor and dentist offices, and carnivals and circuses. Distributors included Bonita Marie International Inc., Dillon Importing Co., Oriental Trading Co. Inc., Play By Play Toys & Novelties Inc., Rhode Island Novelty, Sherman Specialty Co. Inc., Toy Investment Inc., and U.S. Toy Co. Inc.

A previous recall of a similar product in June 2000 resulted in a report of a 3-year-old boy inhaling a detached balloon tongue into his sinus cavity, requiring medical treatment. Consumers should immediately take these toys away from young children and return them to the place of purchase for a refund or throw them away.

The recalled product

Product
Bug Zapper toys
Category
Consumer Product — Toys
Hazard
Affected units
835,000

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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