Mattel Inc. recalls Fisher-Price kitchen toys for choking hazards

10 11 2007

Over 172,000 Fisher-Price kitchen toys were recalled in Europe and the United States, as some children gagged on small, detachable pieces. 

Source: AP © 

Mattel Inc. has received 48 reports of small parts separating from these toys, which feature a sink, a refrigerator and a range. One child choked on a detached piece and needed the Heimlich maneuver performed to remove the part. One child started to choke and two children had pieces in their mouths and gagged.

“Small parts choking hazards with toys is one of the most serious dangers to children in the United States,” Scott Wolfson, Consumer Product Safety Commission spokesman, said. “This should send a message to parents to take this toy away from the child immediately.”

The recall involves 155,000 toys sold in the United States, according to the CPSC. It also includes 7,000 items distributed in Britain, 4,900 in Italy, 4,900 in Germany and 394 in Austria. The Mexican-made toys were sold between May and October.

“We take toy safety very seriously, so we do everything we can to ensure the safety of our toys,” Fisher-Price spokeswoman Juliette Reashor said.

Mattel, the U.S.’s largest toy maker, issued two major recalls in August for lead-tainted toys and toys with small, powerful magnets that can cause intestinal perforations if swallowed. It issued another, smaller recall of lead-contaminated toys last month. All of the previously recalled toys were manufactured in China.

Reashor said the safety issue in Tuesday’s recall was not identified as part of the stepped-up oversight and testing of production processes that began after the August recalls.





Laugh & Learn™ Kitchen Toys Recalled by Fisher-Price Due To Choking Hazard

4 11 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Laugh & Learn™ Learning Kitchen™ Toys

Units: About 155,000

Importer: Fisher-Price Inc., of East Aurora, N.Y.

Laugh & Learn™ Learning Kitchen™ ToysHazard: Pieces of the faucet or the clock hands can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.

Incidents/Injuries: There have been 48 reports of small parts separating from the toys, including two reports of children gagging on pieces, one report of a child who started choking on a piece and one report of a child who choked on a piece.

Description: The recall involves a play kitchen learning toy with a pretend refrigerator, range and sink. The product’s item number L5067 is stamped in several locations on the toy and printed on the product’s packaging above the UPC.

Sold at: Various retail and toy specialty stores nationwide from May 2007 through October 2007 for about $70.

Manufactured in: Mexico

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled toys away from children and contact Fisher-Price for a free repair kit.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Fisher-Price toll-free at (888) 812-7187 between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET Monday through Friday and between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Saturday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.service.mattel.com