In the wake of multiple child injuries in the United States and Canada, Fisher-Price Inc. announced that it will recall more than 11 million items geared toward infants and toddlers, including tricycles, high chairs and toys.
The sweeping recall, announced Thursday, comes after 24 reported incidents of injuries to young children. Seven kids needed stitches after being cut by pegs on Fisher-Price high chairs, and at least six 2- to 3-year-old girls experienced genital bleeding when they sat or fell against protruding plastic ignition keys on Fisher-Price toddler tricycles.
“Consumers should immediately place the trikes out of children’s reach and contact Fisher-Price for a free replacement key,” the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement about the tricycle incidents.
Other kinds of Fisher-Price toys being recalled have not caused any injuries, but they have resulted in some close calls.
A variety of baby toys and soft gyms with inflatable balls are being taken off the market because the valve of the inflatable balls can detach and pose a choking hazard. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said there have been “14 reports of the valve found in a child’s mouth and three reports of a child beginning to choke.”
Additionally, the wheels can detach from the purple and green cars that come with the Fisher-Price Little People Wheelies Stand ‘n Play Rampway. The wheels, like the inflatable-ball valves, can become choking hazards once detached.
“Consumers should immediately take the affected purple and the green cars away from children and contact Fisher-Price for free replacement cars,” the Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
Details about the specific products being recalled in the United States and Canada appear below. For additional information, visit the websites of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission or Fisher-Price, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel Inc.
Consumers also can call Fisher-Price’s recall hotline toll-free at (800) 432-5437.
FISHER-PRICE TRICYCLES
- Names of products: Fisher Price Trikes and Tough Trikes toddler tricycles
- Units: About 7 million in the United States and 150,000 in Canada
- Sold at: Mass merchandise stores nationwide from January 1997 through September 2010 for about $25.
FISHER-PRICE TOYS WITH INFLATABLE BALLS
- Names of products: Baby Playzone Crawl & Cruise Playground, Baby Playzone Crawl & Slide Arcade, Baby Gymtastics Play Wall, Ocean Wonders Kick & Crawl Aquarium (C3068 and H8094), 1-2-3 Tetherball, Bat & Score Goal
- Units: About 2.8 million in the United States and about 125,000 in Canada
FISHER-PRICE HIGH CHAIRS
- Names of products: Healthy Care, Easy Clean and Close to Me High Chairs
- Units: About 950,000 high chairs in the United States and 125,000 in Canada
- Sold at: Mass merchandise retail stores nationwide from September 2001 through September 2010 for between about $70 and $115.
FISHER-PRICE TOYS WITH CARS
- Name of product: Fisher-Price Little People Wheelies Stand ‘n Play Rampway with model numbers T4261 and V6378
- Units: About 100,000 in the United States and 20,000 in Canada
- Description: Only the purple and green cars that are marked “Mexico” and do not have a yellow dot on the bottom are included in the recall.
- Sold at: Mass merchandise stores nationwide from April 2010 through September 2010 for about $45.