Chuck E. Cheese Light-Up Rings and Star Glasses Recall: Ingestion Hazard
Chuck E. Cheese is recalling over 1.2 million toys it distributed to parents and their children after reports emerged that the batteries may pose an ingestion hazard.
Reports that children have been able to get the batteries out of Chuck E. Cheese Light-up Rings and Star Glasses have led to the toy recall, announced on September 15 by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada. The Chuck E. Cheese recall came after one child swallowed a battery and another inserted one into his nostril.
The CPSC warns that the batteries can be accessed if the toys are crushed or pulled apart, which causes the casing to break into tiny pieces and the battery to become exposed. If the battery is swallowed it can cause damage to the stomach, intestines, esophagus or nasal mucus membrane.
The recall affects Light-up Rings that were distributed as part of a promotional product offering and during parent-teacher association conventions. The toy itself is in the shape of the head of the Chuck E. Cheese character and has a black elastic band. It comes in blue, green, purple, yellow or pink.
The recall also includes 120,000 Star Glasses which were distributed with birthday packages. They are made of red translucent plastic and have the words Chuck E. Cheese’s” on the sides.
The Light-up Rings were distributed at Chuck E. Cheese’s Restaurants from April 2009 through June 2010, and the Star Glasses were distributed from April 2010 through August 2010.
The CPSC recommends that both toys be immediately taken away from children and returned to any Chuck E. Cheese. The Light-up Rings can be traded for a $1 refund and four game tokens or a Soccer Promo-Cup and four tokens. The Star Glasses can be returned for either a $4.99 refund or a Flashing Hands prize product.