Over 3 million Calico Critter toys recalled after 2 deaths reported
Written by ABC AUDIO on March 9, 2023
(NEW YORK) — The maker behind the popular Calico Critter toys said Thursday that it is recalling millions of toys with parts that may pose a choking hazard for children.
Epoch Everlasting Play LLC made the announcement in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commision.
The recall impacts more than 3.2 million units of the company’s Calico Critters flocked animal figures and sets that include bottle and pacifier accessories.
The Pine Brook, New Jersey-based company said it knew of three reported incidents involving the pacifier accessories specifically, two of which resulted in fatalities, including a 2-year-old in New Mexico in 2018 and a 9-month-old in Japan in 2015.
The impacted bottle and pacifier accessories were manufactured in China, imported by Epoch Everlasting Play LLC and sold between January 2000 and December 2021 at major retailers such as Meijer and Walmart and online on the Calico Critters website and on Amazon, according to a CPSC recall announcement. They were sold in multiple colors, according to the company.
“The bottle accessories were sold in yellow, pink, blue and orange colors. One style of the bottle has two yellow handles. The pacifier accessories were sold in yellow, orange, pink, dark pink, blue and teal colors,” Epoch said on its official recall website.
Epoch and the CPSC have advised anyone in possession of a recalled accessory to “please immediately take them away from children” and destroy them.
In order to properly destroy the accessories, the company stated, adults should use scissors to “cut the top off of the bottle and cut the handle [off] the pacifier.”
The toy company has a full list of recalled products and associated item numbers on its recall website and has created a request form for impacted individuals to register, submit a photo of the destroyed recalled item and request a free replacement accessory.
Consumers who wish to contact Epoch can also call (800) 631-1272 Mondays through Fridays between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, or email productsafety@epocheverlastingplay.com.
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