Mattel Recalls Battlestar Galactica Toys Due to Missile Choking Risk
Mattel is replacing Battlestar Galactica space toys to prevent choking on small missiles, following a reported child death.
What this means for you
Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 5/5 (Critical).
Highest-severity recall. The hazard can cause serious injury or death. Stop using the product now and follow the agency's instructions.
Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly states that there was one reported death of a four-year-old child, which mandates a Critical severity score per the rubric.
Plain-English summary
Mattel, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), has initiated a voluntary replacement program for four "Battlestar Galactica" space toys. The affected models are the "Colonial Viper" (No. 2531), "Colonial Scarab" (No. 2534), "Colonial Stellar Probe" (No. 2533), and "Cylon Raider" (No. 2532). These toys were sold with small red plastic missiles that could be launched from the vehicle bodies.
The recall was initiated to reduce the possibility of accidents involving the accidental swallowing or aspiration of the missiles. The source text explicitly notes that there have been instances of such accidents, including one reported death of a four-year-old child. Although the products met existing safety standards, the small size of the missiles posed a risk to young children.
Consumers are invited to mail their remaining small 1-1/4 inch red plastic missiles to Mattel at P.O. Box 813, Hawthorne, California 90250, along with their name and address, to receive a free "Hot Wheels" car. This mail-in program expires on March 1, 1979. Additionally, Mattel has redesigned the toys for 1979 so that missiles cannot be launched from the body, and retail and wholesale inventories of the 1978 product are being exchanged for the redesigned versions.
The recalled product
- Product
- Battlestar Galactica space toys
- Manufacturer
- Mattel
- Category
- Consumer Product — Toys
- Hazard
Distribution
Distributed nationwide across the United States.
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