Children’s Plush Toy Books Recalled

A large recall of about 142,000 Monday the Bullfrog Plush Books, which were made by Simon & Schuster Inc., of New York, N.Y. has been issued the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just announced. The Monday the Bullfrog Plush Books are just the latest dangerous toy from China to be the subject of a recall.

The plastic eye on the Monday the Bullfrog Plush Books’ frog can detach, which may pose a choking hazard to young children. To date, Simon & Schuster has received reports of three plastic eyes that detached after use and one unit that was packaged with a detached eye. No injuries have been reported.

Monday the Bullfrog is a plush puppet bullfrog with a board book attached to the frog’s mouth. It was sold in clear plastic packaging, and the book is marked with ISBN numbers 10: 1416912312 and 13: 9781416912316 printed inside the mouth of the bullfrog. The recalled Monday the Bullfrog Plush Books were sold for about $18 at bookstores and retailers nationwide and online from January 2006 through November 2009.

The CPSC is advising consumers to immediately place the recalled Monday the Bullfrog Plush Books out of a child’s reach and contact Simon & Schuster for a free replacement product. Simon & Schuster can be reached, toll-free, at 1-800-732-9531 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday or at the company’s Web site at http://kids.simonandschuster.com

In 2008, nearly 80 percent of all product recalls in the United States involved imports from China. Products such as dog food, baby formula, toys with lead paint, and even pharmaceuticals like heparin have been found to have been made with toxic materials and other counterfeit ingredients that have long been putting United States consumers at significant risk. Also making news is the ongoing Chinese drywall disaster involving imports from that country.