CPSC, Burger King Corporation Announce Voluntary Recall of Pokemon Ball
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall (1999-12-27). Hazards: suffocation. About 25,000,000 units in the US.
| Agency | U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission |
|---|---|
| Recall number | 00046 |
| Published | 1999-12-27 |
| Last updated | 1999-12-27 |
| Product category | Toy Balls |
| Products | Pokemon Balls |
| Firm named in the title | Burger King Corporation |
| Firms | Burger King Corporation (distributor) |
| Units (US) | 25,000,000 |
| Hazard classes | suffocation |
| Remedy classes | dispose |
| Sold | Burger King restaurants nationwide distributed the Pokemon balls inside Burger King Kids Club Meals and regular kids meals from early November through December, 1999. |
Description
The Pokemon balls are plastic ball-shaped containers between 2" and 3" in diameter. They pull apart to reveal one of 57 different Pokemon toys inside. The balls were distributed in a variety of colors including red and white, and hot pink. Packaging described them as safety tested and recommended for all ages of children.
Hazard
The balls may pose a suffocation hazard to children under three years of age. Pokemon balls are the ball-shaped plastic containers that hold Pokemon toys in Burger King kids meals. Either half of the Pokemon ball can become stuck on a child's face, covering the nose and mouth and may cause suffocation of a child under three years of age.
Remedy
Consumers should immediately take the balls away from children under the age of three. They should discard the ball or return both halves of the ball to a Burger King restaurant for a free small order of french fries. Consumers may continue to use the Pokemon toy that came inside the ball. Burger King restaurants will continue to distribute the Pokemon toys in balls with Burger King Big Kids Meals, but the Pokemon balls will no longer be included with the toy in the regular kids club meals, generally intended for younger children. Consumers should not allow younger children under the age of three to play with these balls.
Incidents and injuries
A 13-month-old girl reportedly suffocated when one-half of a Pokemon ball covered her nose and mouth. An 18-month-old girl reportedly also had a ball-half stuck over her face, causing her distress. However, the girl's father (on the second attempt) pulled the ball-half from her face.
Machine access
This record, with every extracted field, the source record (contact text and images withheld) and provenance: GET https://api.data.aroqon.com/v1/product-recalls/cpsc-00046. Look up a model number or UPC with /v1/product-recalls/lookup?code=…. About the dataset · free and paid keys.
Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall notice (US Government work). Not affiliated with or endorsed by CPSC. Structured by Data Foundry (product-recall-structuring@2); last changed 2026-09-28. Always confirm with the agency notice.