BRIO Recalls Wooden Clown Toys Due to Choking Hazard
BRIO is replacing hats on 79,000 wooden clown toys because they pose a choking hazard to young children.
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 a 22-month-old child reportedly choked to death on the product, which meets the rubric criterion for a score of 5 (Critical) due to known fatalities.
Plain-English summary
BRIO Corp., a subsidiary of BRIO AB of Sweden, is voluntarily replacing the hats on approximately 79,000 wooden clown toys in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The toys, which are 9-inch high stacking figures consisting of 12 pieces, present a potential choking hazard to young children due to the design of the yellow cone-shaped hat.
The recall follows one report of a 22-month-old child in Germany who reportedly choked to death on the clown's hat. No other injuries or complaints have been reported. The toys were sold nationwide through specialty stores and mail order catalogs from 1977 through September 1997, most recently for about $19. The packaging is a red, white, and yellow cardboard box featuring the model number 30130 and the words "BRIO...CLOWN."
Consumers should immediately remove the clown's hat from children's reach and send it to BRIO Corp. at N120 W18485 Freistadt Road, Germantown, WI 53022. BRIO will provide a redesigned replacement hat and postage reimbursement. Consumers with questions can call BRIO toll-free at (888) 274-6869 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday.
The recalled product
- Product
- Brio wooden clown toys
- Manufacturer
- BRIO / BRIO AB
- Category
- Consumer Product — Toys
- Hazard
Distribution
Distributed nationwide across the United States.
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