• Posted September 15, 2023

Choking Hazard Spurs Recall of Bath Toys Sold at Target

If you have a Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kit, a child's toy made by Buffalo Games and sold exclusively at Target, throw it out.

The toy is being recalled due to serious ingestion, choking and obstruction hazards after one infant died and another was injured and required surgery.

Together, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Buffalo Games LLC, of Buffalo, N.Y., announced the recall of about 52,000 of the kits on Thursday.

The hazard is that if one of these water beads is ingested, it expands. It can then cause choking and obstruction inside a child's body.

This could lead to severe discomfort, vomiting and dehydration, and even death.

A 10-month-old died in July in Wisconsin after swallowing water beads. A 9-month-old in Maine was seriously injured in November after swallowing the water beads caused an intestinal obstruction, requiring surgery to remove them.

Immediately stop using and take the recalled water bead kits away from children, the CPSC said.

Consumers can contact Buffalo Games for a full refund and instructions on how to return the product in a prepaid mailing package. Another option is to return the product to any Target store.

The kits were sold exclusively at Target from March 2022 through November 2022 for about $15. They were manufactured in China.

On the front of the purple container, the label reads, “Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kit.”

The kit includes 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. It has the UPC Number 079346627035 on the back.

Consumers can contact Buffalo Games toll-free at 800-637-0732 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or by email at [email protected]. The company can also be reached online at https://chuckleandroar.com/recall or www.chuckleandroar.com. Click “Recall Information” at the top of the landing page.

More information

Stanford Medicine Children's Health has more on children and toy safety.

SOURCE: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, news release, Sept. 14, 2023