Calico Critters Toys Linked to 2 Deaths

Recall states bottle, pacifier accessories are choking hazards
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 10, 2023 1:38 PM CST
Calico Critters Toys Linked to 2 Deaths
A close up of the bottle and pacifier accessories.   (US Consumer Product Safety Commission)

Two children have died from choking on accessories sold with Calico Critters toys, prompting a recall of a tiny pacifier and baby bottle sold as part of larger sets. New Jersey-based Epoch Everlasting Play, which makes the products, says it's aware of "three incidents involving the pacifier accessory, including two deaths." The Consumer Product Safety Commission describes two fatal accidents: one in New Mexico in 2018 involving a 2-year-old and one in Japan in 2015 involving a 9-month-old. It says the bottle and pacifier "pose a choking hazard to children."

The recall applies to more than 50 types of animal figurines and sets sold with those accessories, or more than 3.2 million toys, per the CPSC. They were sold as sets by stores including Walmart and Meijer and online on Amazon and the company’s website from January 2000 to December 2021 at a cost of $10 to $80. Many of the sets are of twin baby animals, per CBS News. The bottles—including one type with two yellow handles—came in pink, blue, yellow, and orange. The pacifier came in pink, dark pink, blue, teal, yellow, and orange, per CNN.

"If you have the recalled bottle and pacifier accessories, please immediately take them away from children," according to Epoch Everlasting Play, which is offering free replacement accessories—a car and a train car—to those who submit a photo of the recalled accessories along with confirmation that they have been destroyed. More information, including a full list of recalled toys with the item numbers found on the product packaging, can be found on the company's website. (More recall stories.)

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