Health Canada has issued a recall regarding toy workshop sets and trucks by Little Tikes, due to the alarming fact that the oversized plastic toy nails can pose a choking hazard to young children.
The really alarming part is this recall covers the products sold from March 1994 to June 2009. Fifteen years of recalls! Of course, if you own this, immediately take the nails away from the set, and contact Little Tikes at 1-800-781-2737 between 9AM and 8PM ET Monday through Friday, and between 9AM and 2PM ET Saturday, or visit the firm’s website (www.littletikes.com).
This specific recall involves the large plastic toy nails that came with the following Little Tikes products:
Electric Project Workshop: Model number 0914 and UPC 0-50743-00914-3.
· Little Handiworker Workhorse: Model number 0920/612237 and UPC 0-50743-10920-1 or UPC 0-50743-61223-7.
· Home Improvements 2-Sided Workshop: Model number 4146 and UPC 0-50743-04146-4.
· Swirlin’ Sawdust Workshop: Model number 440Z and UPC 0-50743-38540-7.
· Black Pickup Truck with Tools: Model 4028 and UPC 0-50743-04028-3.
This is one of those things where even if my kids were still at the age where they might be affected, I wouldn't likely be bringing it back. I do have some of those “nails”, bought in 1996, and used and loved by my kids through the years. My kids could just as easily swallow a Polly Pocket, a button, or a keychain. A warning to parents to supervise their younger kids when playing as it is a choking hazard, but realize that toddlers love to emulate their parents, and whacking an oversized nail into a plastic board is pretty fun. My heart goes out to the parent of the one child who choked on this item, but seriously…15 years of a toy on the market?