Death, Injuries Prompt Recall of 3 Toys, Child Seat

A 5-month-old El Paso girl choked to death on a plastic musical caterpillar toy, prompting a recall by the manufacturer, a division of Malibu-based toy maker Jakks Pacific Inc., the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Friday.

Toys made by Fisher-Price, a division of El Segundo-based Mattel Inc., and Shelcore Inc., a Somerset, N.J., firm, also were recalled after parents reported injuries to their children, the federal regulatory agency in Washington said.

New York-based Child Guidance, owned by Jakks, recalled about 900,000 of its Wiggle Waggle Caterpillar toys after a small plastic ball lodged in the Texas girl’s throat. A commission spokeswoman did not provide additional details Friday.

The 10-inch toy, which plays four songs and makes various sounds, also caused two other children to start to choke, the CPSC said. The toy was sold from May 1998 through last month. Parents can exchange it for another toy of similar value by calling the company.

Although the girl who suffocated and a child in another incident were 5 months old or younger, the caterpillar toy was designed for children 1 year and older and was labeled accordingly, said Stephen Berman, president and chief operating officer of Jakks.

The toy passed all relevant safety tests before and after the complaints were received. “But we were being prudent, and to make sure there were no other instances, we did the recall,” Berman said.

Also Friday, East Aurora, N.Y.-based Fisher-Price recalled 882,000 units of its Hop, Skip, Jumper activity seats. Sold from January 1987 to January 1994, the child seats are suspended from door frames by a spring. In 80 incidents, the spring broke, causing some babies to fall. Twenty babies suffered injuries, including cuts to the head in nine cases and a dislocated tailbone in one.

Fisher-Price also recalled 267,000 Big Action Construction sets after it received 16 reports of children wrapping a plastic strap from the toy around their necks. The strap, attached to a 25-inch toy crane bucket, caused minor injuries to seven children, the company said. The toy was sold from January 1997 until last month.

Fisher-Price spokeswoman Laurie Oravec said the company conducted safety tests but did not anticipate that children would twist the crane’s cord around their necks.

Consumers who own the activity seats can get a repair kit to install an additional safety strap, while those who own the construction sets can get a replacement crane bucket with a 12-inch cord that doesn’t endanger children, Fisher-Price said.

Privately held Shelcore agreed to recall 124,000 Stand Up ‘N Play tables after a 13-month-old boy choked on a xylophone mallet part, suffering cuts to his throat. Shelcore said it will provide a free replacement mallet to customers who own the play tables, which were sold from March 1996 to March 1998.

Both Jakks and Fisher-Price said the costs of paying for the recalls were not significant. Jakks stock fell $1.06, or 6%, to $16.50 on Nasdaq. Mattel shares fell 31 cents, or 2.4%, to close at $12.44 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Jeff Dabbs, an analyst at Kercheville & Co., told Bloomberg News that whenever a company has a recall, “there is a little pressure on the stock,” which is usually temporary.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Toy Recall

Manufacturers of four toys issued voluntary recalls with approval from the Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington.

n Wiggle Waggle Caterpillar: Return toy to Child Guidance to receive another toy of similar value. The firm will pay postage. For information, call (877) 586-1006, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST.

n Hop, Skip, Jumper (model numbers 9144 and 9146): Stop using the jumper. Call Fisher-Price at (888) 821-0077 to get a free repair kit with a new suspension strap to support the jumper.

n Big Action Construction (model 72028): Cut off strap and throw it away. Call Fisher-Price at (888) 821-0077 to get a free replacement crane bucket and a 12-inch strap that can’t wrap around children’s necks.

n Stand-Up ‘N Play Table with xylophone mallets: Throw away mallet. Call Shelcore for a free replacement at (800) 777-0453, Monday-Friday,

6 a.m. to 2 p.m. PST.