Baby Shark Bath Toys Recalled Following Child Impalement, Laceration Injury Reports

The top fins of the sharks have been linked to a dozen child injuries, some of which have led to hospitalizations

More than seven million Baby Shark bath toys have been recalled, following reports of children suffering severe impalement and laceration injuries while using the toys, including incidents where children required medical attention or stitches.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the Zuru Baby Shark and Mini Baby Shark bath toy recall on June 22, warning the water activated child bath toys can cause serious injuries to children when they are used in a bath tub or shallow wading pool.

Parents are being warned to immediately stop using the children’s bath toys and contact the manufacturer for a full refund.

According to the recall, consumers have submitted at least 12 reports of children sustaining impalement injuries, lacerations, and puncture wounds to their genital, anorectal and facial areas after sitting on top of, or slipping and falling on top of, the shark’s top fin. At least nine of the reported child injuries were severe and required medical attention or stitches to treat.

Officials warn the top shark fins are hard enough to pierce a child’s skin and can result in deep cuts and puncture wounds. The child shark toys swim and sing once placed in water, and are especially dangerous when used in a shallow water setting, such as a bathtub or shallow wading pool, where a child can stand and potentially sit on top of the sharp shark fin or slip and fall on top of the fin and impale themselves.

The recall impacts approximately 6.5 million full-size Robo Alive Junior Baby Shark Sing & Swim bath toys and approximately one million Mini Baby Shark Swimming bath toys.

While only the full-size Baby Shark bath toys have been linked to the reported child injuries, the mini Baby Shark toys have also been recalled out of an abundance of caution, as they were also designed with a hard top fin.

The full-size Baby Shark bath toys measure seven inches in length, have a grooved top fin, and can be identified with model number 25282 printed on the bottom, along with a product date code that ranges from DG20190501 to DG20220619. They were sold individually, as well as in packs of three in the colors yellow, blue and pink from May 2019 until March 2023, and retailed between $13 and $15.

The mini Baby Shark bath toys measure 4 inches in length, have a solid plastic top fin, and can be identified with model numbers 7163, 7175, 1766, or 25291 printed on the bottom, along with a product date code that ranges from DG2020615 to DG2023525. They were sold individually, in multi-packs, and as part of a Baby Shark Music Water Park playset in the colors yellow, blue, and pink from July 2020 until June 2020, and retailed from $6 to $20.

The CPSC recommends consumers disable the tail fin of the toy by either cutting the fin off the full-sized shark toy or bending the fin of the mini shark toy, write the word “recalled” on the body of the shark, and visit Zuru’s website at https://www.recallrtr.com/bathshark to register the recalled toys. Once registered, they can then submit their unique recall code, along with a photo of their disabled and marked product. Zuru will provide consumers with a refund on a prepaid virtual MasterCard in the amount of $14 for a full-size shark or $6 for a mini shark toy.

For more information, consumers may contact Zuru toll-free at 833-820-0839 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, or visit their website at https://www.recallrtr.com/bathshark or www.Zurutoys.com.