CPSC, Chicco USA Inc. Announce Recall of Preschool Toys
USCPSC, Chicco USA Inc. Announce Recall of Preschool Toys
Reason for Recall / Hazard
Some of the larger-sized ball halves can become stuck on a young child's face, covering the nose and mouth, and causing suffocation.
Product Description & Identification
The Build-A-Ball toy consists of five multi-colored and various-sized plastic balls that can be taken apart to be stacked on top of each other or placed inside each other. The five balls in the toy set range in size from about 2 inches to 4 inches in diameter. One-half of the balls are white, green, blue, red or yellow, and the other half is clear. "chicco" is written inside the balls. The balls are packaged in a box labeled "chicco," "Build-a-Ball," "Cod. 66167," and "Made in China." The packaging also indicated the toy is for children ages 1-3 years or 1-4 years. The text on the packaging is written in 11 languages.
Affected Products
Build-A-Ball toy
Additional Source Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| U R L | https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2001/CPSC-Chicco-USA-Inc-Announce-Recall-of-Preschool-Toys |
| Title | CPSC, Chicco USA Inc. Announce Recall of Preschool Toys |
| Images › 1 › U R L | https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/Build-A-Ball.jpeg |
| Images › 1 › Caption | Recalled Build-A-Ball toy |
| Images › 2 › U R L | https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/Build-A-Ball-toys.jpeg |
| Images › 2 › Caption | Recalled Build-A-Ball toys |
| Hazards › Name | Some of the larger-sized ball halves can become stuck on a young child's face, covering the nose and mouth, and causing suffocation. |
| Injuries › Name | CPSC received a report of a 2-year-old boy who had a ball-half stuck on his face, covering his nose and mouth. A nearby adult was able to pull the toy from his face. No injury to the child was reported. |
| Products › Name | Build-A-Ball toy |
| Products › Type | Toy Balls |
| Products › Category I D | 2183 |
| Products › Number Of Units | About 6,000 |
| Recall I D | 870 |
| Remedies › Name | Parents and caregivers should take these balls away from young children immediately and return the toys to the store where purchased for a refund. |
| Importers › Name | Chicco USA Inc., of Bound Brook, N.J. |
| Retailers › Name | Amazon.com, Army & Air Force Exchanges and other toy stores nationwide sold these toys, from January 1999 through April 2001, for about $6. |
| Recall Date | 2001-07-02T00:00:00 |
| Description | The Build-A-Ball toy consists of five multi-colored and various-sized plastic balls that can be taken apart to be stacked on top of each other or placed inside each other. The five balls in the toy set range in size from about 2 inches to 4 inches in diameter. One-half of the balls are white, green, blue, red or yellow, and the other half is clear. "chicco" is written inside the balls. The balls are packaged in a box labeled "chicco," "Build-a-Ball," "Cod. 66167," and "Made in China." The packaging also indicated the toy is for children ages 1-3 years or 1-4 years. The text on the packaging is written in 11 languages. |
| Recall Number | 01182 |
| Consumer Contact | For more information, consumers should call Chicco USA Inc., toll-free at (877) 424-4226 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the company's website www.chiccousa.com |
| Last Publish Date | 2026-03-10T00:00:00 |
| Manufacturer Countries › Country | China |
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