Build-A-Bear Workshops have some work to do on their reputation for safety. While they do produce an adorable line of self-stuff soft animal pals, their record of assuring product safety has been tarnished in the past six months.
Just before Christmas, on December 23, 2011, Build-a-Bear Workshops issued their third product safety recall since August 2011. The most recent recall is due to a potential choking hazard on certain production runs of the 16” Colorful Hearts Teddy Bears. According to their website, the company advised consumers that the production runs involved in the recall used “substandard fabric which can tear around the eye possibly resulting in the eye falling out of the bear.”
The plastic eyeball, if released, would be a small part that could create a choking hazard for young children. No injuries have been reported, but Build-a-Bear is recalling the products in an act of due caution and concern for the safety of the consumers who have purchased the bears.
Sales of affected product in the USA include 284,000 bears, with another 13,200 sold in Canada. Produced in China, the bears in the USA and Canada were sold in Build-a-Bear retail and online (www.buildabear.com) stores between April and December 2011.
Consumers who identify that their bear is involved in the recall should stop using the bear immediately and return the product to their local Build-a-Bear Workshop location for an in-store exchange coupon. The company can be contacted directly by phone at 866-236-5683, or on their website www.buildabear.com.
To see other Build-a-Bear recalls in 2011, see below.
