Stop Using These Popular Water Bead Toys Right Now, CPSC Warns
After one death and another child seriously injured, the activity kids are being pulled from the market.
Buffalo Games, an American company that specializes in toys for kids, has issued a recall of their super-popular water bead toys after receiving a report of a 10-month-old child who died and a 9-month-old child who was seriously injured in connection with the water bead toys, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The company has issued a recall of approximately 52,000 of its Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kits.
“Chuckle & Roar is working with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on a voluntary recall of the Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kit,” the company shared on social media. “Consumers should immediately stop using and take away the recalled water beads from children.”
Why are the water bead activity kits being recalled?
The voluntary recall was issued due to ingestion, choking, and obstruction hazards. The recall comes after Buffalo Games became aware of the death of one child and the serious injury of another, both of which were attributed to the water bead activity kits.
According to the recall notice, the company “received one report of a 10-month-old child’s death from swallowing the recalled water beads in July 2023 in Wisconsin.”
In addition, a second child had been “seriously injured” in November 2020 after “swallowing the water beads which caused an intestinal obstruction requiring surgery to remove them.”
Which water bead kits are included in the recall?
The water bead kits included in the recall are Buffalo Games’s Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kit, per the recall notice. The kits are labeled as such and include: “2 ounces of ‘jumbo’ water beads and 6 ounces of ‘regular’ water beads. Along with a clear container and lid, there are five small toy fish, a scissor scoop, tweezers, a scoop with a handle, 10 activity cards, and instructions.”
The recalled activity kits are sold in a purple box, and each contains the UPC Number 079346627035, which is visible on the back of the kit, printed in the bottom right corner, per the CPSC notice. The kits were sold nationwide and online at Target and Target.com between March 2022 and November 2022, selling for approximately $15 each.
What should parents do if they have the recalled product?
“Consumers should immediately stop using and take away the recalled water beads from children,” the company and the CPSC urge.
“If a water bead is ingested,” the company notes, “it expands and can pose ingestion, choking, and intestinal obstruction hazards inside a child’s body, resulting in severe discomfort, vomiting, dehydration, and a risk of death to a child.”
Buffalo Games is offering a full refund to consumers who have the recalled product. To receive your refund, there’s a form parents can fill out on the company’s website to request a prepaid mailing package to return the kit and receive a full refund.
“Alternatively, you may choose to return the product directly to any Target store location for a full refund,” Buffalo Games suggests.
For more information or to request a refund, consumers can reach out to Buffalo Games via the company’s website. Alternatively, parents can call Buffalo Games toll-free at 800-637-0732 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or via email at beadrecall@buffalogames.com.
This article was originally published on
