Burger King Pokémon container recall

Following the death of an infant who suffocated, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) made an effort to recall the containers.

Russ Rader, spokesperson for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, stated the more the child breathes, the tighter the ball is held in place.

[4] However, according to the Miami Herald, for more than two weeks, parents were largely unaware of the risk posed by the balls due to discussions between Burger King and the government.

[9] On December 23, an 18-month-old Kansas girl reportedly got half of the ball stuck on her nose and mouth, but her father managed to remove it before she was injured.

[1] However, Burger King initiated an announcement on December 27, two days before the agreed date,[1] as information about the recall began to leak publicly.

[9] Ann Brown, a member of the CPSC, believed it was a move by Burger King to try and fly the situation under the radar and avoid negative press.

[4] Brown did a segment as planned on NBC News's Today, though she criticized Burger King's slow movements and the hasty recall announcement.

[3] Thousands of notices were sent to Burger King locations, pediatricians' offices, and emergency rooms, an ad in USA Today was posted, and warnings were put out on sites frequently visited by Pokémon fans.

[12] Nancy A. Nord, acting chairperson of the Commission, stated while some balls came back, the CPSC assumed most people had thrown them away.

Toy-safety experts were concerned with Burger King's decision to continue to distribute the balls, even with safety advisories, believing it to be a negative message with potentially harmful impacts.

[19] Ellen Mogg, assistant manager of a Burger King restaurant, stated they had not received any complaints from parents about it being a hazard; she felt they had been prompt in recalling them.

[16] Following the recall, Burger King improved its testing procedures and hired a human-factors psychologist to evaluate toys and how children will use them.

[1] Burger King also implemented a program to create toys "more appropriate" for children under three, though one of these attempts, the Rattling, Paddling Riverboat, was recalled due to manufacturing issues.