WASHINGTON — About 7.5 million “Baby Shark” singing and swimming bath toys are being recalled after multiple cuts and stab wounds were reported in children playing with them.
Zuru, an El Segundo-based toymaker, said it is recalling both original and mini versions of its robotic baby shark toys, which feature hard plastic fins that pose a risk of injury.
Twelve injuries have already been reported on Zuru’s full-size Robo Alive Junior Baby Shark Sing & Swim bath toy – after children sat on or fell on the now recalled products. Nine of those cases required stitches or medical attention, according to a press release from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Thursday.
Although injuries have only been reported on these full-size toys to date, Zuru is also recalling the Robo Alive Junior Mini Baby Shark pool toys “out of great caution.”
Consumers in possession of the recalled toys are instructed to immediately stop using those toys and contact Zuru for a full refund. To receive the refund, customers are asked to cut or bend the tail fin, “recalled” and write a registration code on the baby shark’s body and upload a photo to a website dedicated to the recall.
The recalled products can be identified by model numbers and date codes. Zuru’s Robo Alive Junior Baby Shark Sing & Swim bath toy and Robo Alive Junior Mini Baby Shark pool toy were sold in person and online at chains including Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens and TJX Companies from May 2019 to March 2023.
In a company release, Zuru noted that the recall only affects versions of the baby shark toys with a hard plastic fin. The latest toys that have a silicone fin are not part of the recall, Zuru said.
“We want to reassure our customers that we are committed to the highest level of safety and quality in all of our products and we have implemented measures to prevent future incidents by working to promptly phase out these products and through a to replace newly developed product.”, Zuru wrote.