McDonald’s Corp. is recalling Hello Kitty-themed whistles because of choking and aspiration hazards, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Monday. ADVERTISING McDonald’s Corp. is recalling Hello Kitty-themed whistles because of choking and aspiration hazards, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
McDonald’s Corp. is recalling Hello Kitty-themed whistles because of choking and aspiration hazards, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Monday.
The “Hello Kitty Birthday Lollipop” whistles contain components that can detach, posing choking and aspiration hazards to young children. The commission said McDonald’s has received two reports of children who coughed out pieces of the whistle that they had sucked into their mouths, including one child who received medical attention.
About 2.3 million of the whistles were distributed in the U.S. An additional, 200,000 were distributed in Canada during October and the first week of November.
Consumers are advised to immediately take the whistle away from children and return it to any McDonald’s for a free replacement toy and either a yogurt tube or a bag of apple slices.
The recalled whistles are red and were included in a plastic Hello Kitty figurine holding a pink heart-shaped lollipop. The whistle can be removed and used to make sounds by inhaling or exhaling through the mouthpiece. When closed, the figurine measures about 3 inches in height and width and 1 3/4 inches in depth. The whistle measures about 1 3/4 inches in height and width and 3/4 inches in depth. A picture of Hello Kitty appears on both sides of the whistle. The text “©1976, 2014 SANRIO CO., LTD.” appears above Hello Kitty’s face on the whistle, and “Made for McDonald’s China CCW Chine” appears below Hello Kitty’s face on the whistle. The bag in which the toy is packaged includes the text “Hello Kitty® Birthday Lollipop” and the number “6” in the upper right corner.
For additional information, contact McDonald’s at (800) 244-6227 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Central Time, seven days a week, or visit mcdonalds.com.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually.
