The Recall Desk
Our severity:HighCPSC·15021·Announced 2014-11-10

McDonald's Recalls Hello Kitty Whistles Due to Choking Hazard

McDonald's is recalling Hello Kitty Birthday Lollipop Whistles because internal components can detach, posing choking and aspiration risks 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 and aspiration hazard with reported medical attention for one child, fitting the 'High' severity criteria for risk-of-harm products where injury has been reported but not severe enough for 'Severe' or 'Critical' classifications.

Plain-English summary

McDonald's is recalling approximately 2.3 million Hello Kitty® Birthday Lollipop Whistles in the United States and about 200,000 in Canada. These red whistles were distributed in McDonald's restaurants nationwide from October 2014 through the first week of November 2014 with Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals. The whistles were included in a plastic Hello Kitty figurine holding a pink heart-shaped lollipop.

The recall is due to a choking and aspiration hazard. Components inside the whistle can detach, posing a risk to young children. McDonald's has received two reports of children who coughed out pieces of the whistle that they had sucked into their mouths, including one child who received medical attention.

Consumers should immediately take the whistle away from children and return it to any McDonald's for a free replacement toy and either a yogurt tube or a bag of apple slices. For additional information, consumers can contact McDonald's at (800) 244-6227 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT, seven days a week, or visit the firm's website at www.mcdonalds.com.

The recalled product

Product
Hello Kitty® Birthday Lollipop Whistles
Category
Consumer Product — Toys
Hazard
Affected units
200,000

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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