Millions of “Baby Shark” bath toys, inspired by the viral children’s song, were recalled Thursday after a dozen kids suffered injuries — including impalement — from the miniature shark’s plastic fin.
Toymaker Zuru will offer refunds on about 7.5 million products after it received 12 reports where children fell or sat on the toy, resulting in “impalement injuries, lacerations and puncture wounds,” according to a notice issued by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Nine incidents required stitches or medical attention, the agency said.
All injuries were caused by the full-sized, 7-inch plastic shark toys, which “sing and swim when placed in water.”
About 6.5 million of the Robo Alive Junior Baby Shark Sing & Swim Bath Toys are affected by the recall.
Customers are encouraged to cross-check the model number on the toy’s underbelly with the recalled model numbers listed on the CPSC’s website, and refrain from letting their children play with the toy if the numbers match.
Another 1 million of the 4-inch Robo Alive Junior Mini Baby Shark Swimming Bath Toys, which only swim when placed in water, are also being recalled for fears of impalement injuries.
“They have a hard plastic top fin with three grooves on one side,” the CPSC described of the injury-inducing toys, which were being sold at Walmart, CVS, Target, Walgreens and Dollar General, among other stores.
The larger toys were being sold from May 2019 through March 2023, while the mini version was available in packs of one to three from July 2020 to June 2023.
Shoppers who already purchased the toys are urged to contact Zuru with a photo of the toy marked with the word “recalled” that also shows the unique model number.
“A full refund of $14 for each full-size bath toy or $6 for each mini-size bath toy, in the form of a prepaid virtual Mastercard,” the agency said.
To keep using the toy, “consumers should disable the tail fin” by either bending it down or cutting it off.
Representatives for Zuru did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The recalled toys are based on the children’s “Baby Shark” song and dance that swam its way to YouTube’s No. 1 most-watched spot after it was released in 2017.
The video touts nearly 13 billion views on the video-sharing platform, and has since been made into a television series and live show.
Credit: Source link
