A number of children’s toys and baby products sold across the United States have been recalled after federal regulators warned they pose a risk of serious injury or death—including from asbestos exposure, falls and battery ingestion.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the recalls on May 21, covering about 215,000 products, including squeeze toys sold at Walmart, portable hook‑on baby chairs sold on Amazon and several electronic toys containing easily accessible button‑cell batteries.
No injuries or deaths have been reported so far. But safety officials stress that the hazards involved—particularly asbestos exposure and battery ingestion—are well‑established causes of severe and sometimes fatal harm, especially in children.
Newsweek contacted the companies—PandaEar, ABC Trading Inc. and Orb Toys—for comment via email outside regular working hours.
What Products Are Affected?
These are the products affected by the recall:
- Orb Funkee squeeze toys, about 121,340 in total, with date code 3102491A
- PandaEar portable hook-in chairs, about 9,700 in total, models C2102 and BTC-51
- Toy headband, model 6300RP
- Electronic Pet Cage Dinosaur Tribe, model 8266 (ZH998-22)
- My Pet Bird Cute Bird Tribes, model ZH998-23
Orb Funkee toys “are made of a soft, stretchable material and filled with sand,” CPSC said. Model 17451 is a large golden monkey and model 41929 is an assortment of small “monkees” in different colors, including orange, purple and green.
The products were sold at Walmart and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet stores nationwide from February 2025 until April 2026, for between $5 and $40. As of May 21, no incidents or injuries had been reported in connection with the use of the toys.
The PandaEar hook-on chairs feature a black or gray metal frame covered in polyester that comes in black, gray or blue with a dinosaur design. They feature two metal arms with plastic covers that attach to tables.
The chairs were sold on Amazon.com from February 22 until November 2025 for about $25. As of May 21, no incidents or injuries had been reported.
The toy headbands feature a pink bow with white polka dots. The dinosaur toy features a silver plastic cage, red dinosaur and yellow egg. Meanwhile, the bird toy features a pink plastic cage and a blue bird.
The products were sold at Toyz and Joissu Product stores nationwide from November 2022 until October 2025 for between $5 and $9. As on May 21, no incidents or injuries had been reported.
Health Hazards Explained
The CPSC warned that the Orb Funkee toys may contain fibrous tremolite—a type of asbestos—in their sand, which can cause adverse health effects if inhaled.
“Exposure to asbestos can lead to serious and sometimes fatal disease,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. “Breathing of asbestos fibers may result in difficulty in breathing, lung cancer, or mesothelioma (another form of cancer associated with asbestos exposure).”
The CPSC said the hook-on chairs violate the mandatory standard for such products because the crotch restraints can be removed without tools. “Infants can fall through an opening, posing a deadly fall hazard,” it said.
According to the agency’s 2024 report, falls were the leading cause of injury among children younger than age five, with the head being the body part injured most frequently.
The agency also said the electronic products—the toy headbands, dinosaur toys and bird toys—violated the mandatory standards for toys because they contain button-cell batteries that can be easily accessed by children.
“When button cell and coin batteries are swallowed, the ingested batteries can cause serious injuries, internal chemical burns and death,” the CPSC said.
What Happens Next
Orb Toys said customers who bought the affected squeeze toys should stop using them immediately and contact the company for a refund. Customers should place the toy in a heavy-duty plastic bag, seal it with tape and send in a photo. If the toys have ruptured, the company advises customers to put on masks and gloves and use a damp cloth to pick up any sand that has leaked.
PandaEar has advised customers to stop using the chairs immediately and contact the company for a full refund. Customers are asked to disassemble the product, cut the restraints and send in photos of the destroyed product.
Meanwhile, ABC Trading has also advised customers to stop using the toys immediately and to send in photos of the disposed products in the trash.
Read the full article here
