More than 95,000 toys that expand in water have been recalled due to a serious ingestion hazard, according to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC).
Water Balz, Growing Skulls, “Despicable Me” H20 Orbs and Fabulous Flower Toys have all been pulled because the toys can grow to 400 times their initial size, causing an intestinal blockage if swallowed by little ones.
Why the product is being recalled: When the marble-sized toy is ingested, it expands inside the body and causes a blockage in the small intestine, resulting in severe discomfort, vomiting, dehydration and could be life threatening. The toys do not show up on an x-ray and require surgery to be removed from the body.
Description: This recall involves marble-sized toys that absorb water and grow up to 400 times their original size. They were sold as Water Balz (round-shape), Growing Skulls (skull-shape), H2O Orbs “Despicable Me” (round-shape) and Fabulous Flowers (flower-shape). They were sold in packages of six in green, yellow, red, blue and black colors. “Dunecraft,” the name of the toy and the model number are printed on the toy’s packaging. Model numbers are as follows:
Water Balz model number BC-0338
Growing Skulls model number BC-0320
H2O Orbs “Despicable Me” model number DM-0447
Fabulous Flowers model number BC-0440
Where it was sold: Water Balz and Growing Skulls were sold at Bed Bath & Beyond, Five Below, Hobby Lobby, Lakeshore Learning Materials, Microcenter, Urban Outfitters Direct, Wegmans and other stores nationwide, and online at amazon.com, incrediblescience.com, keyporthobbies.com, americantoystores.com and other websites from September 2010 through November 2012 for about $3 per package. The H2O Orbs “Despicable Me” were sold exclusively at Universal Studios stores during June 2012 for about $3 per package. Fabulous Flowers were sold exclusively at Milaeger’s in Racine, Wis. from June 2012 through November 2012 for about $3 per package.
Consumers should immediately take this recalled toy away from children and contact Dunecraft for a free replacement toy.
For more information, contact Dunecraft Inc.; at (800) 306-4168, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or online at www.dunecraft.com and click on the recall tab for more information. You can view the full recall on the CPSC website here.
Photos of the recalled products:
