The Recall Desk
HighCPSC·02049·Announced 2001-11-28

CPSC Recalls Zapper Toys Due to Choking Hazard for Young Children

Manley Toy Direct is recalling about 15,800 Zapper Toys because balloon tongues can detach, posing a choking and aspiration hazard to young children.

What this means for you

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 and aspiration hazard for young children, which is a risk-of-harm product where injury has not been reported for this specific recall batch, fitting the High severity criteria.

Plain-English summary

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Manley Toy Direct of Indianola, Iowa, are recalling about 15,800 Zapper Toys. These vinyl toys, which are about 2 to 3 inches long and shaped like animals such as frogs, dinosaurs, and snakes, have a balloon tongue that inflates or rolls out when squeezed. 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 at arcades, amusement parks, and carnivals from January 2000 through August 2001. The source text notes that a related company previously recalled similar toys in 2000 after a report of a 3-year-old boy inhaling a detached balloon tongue into his sinus cavity, which required medical treatment to remove.

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. For more information, consumers can contact Manley Toy Direct at (800) 767-9998 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday to Friday.

The recalled product

Product
Zapper Toys
Manufacturer
Manley Toy Direct, of Indianola, Iowa
Category
Consumer Product — Toys
Hazard
Affected units
15,800

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

Related recalls

Same hazard · choking

See all →