CPSC, Advantage Publishers Group Announce Recall to Replace Educational Kits
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall (2001-07-10). Hazards: lead. About 160,000 units in the US.
| Agency | U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission |
|---|---|
| Recall number | 01193 |
| Published | 2001-07-10 |
| Last updated | 2026-03-13 |
| Product category | Educational Materials |
| Products | Let's Start™ Numbers and "Optical Illusions Lab" educational kits |
| Firm named in the title | Advantage Publishers Group |
| Firms | Advantage Publishers Group, of San Diego, Calif. (manufacturer) |
| Units (US) | 160,000 |
| Hazard classes | lead |
| Remedy classes | replace, dispose |
| Sold | Retail stores, national book chains, wholesalers and distributors, and membership warehouse clubs nationwide sold the educational kits, from February 1999 through May 2001, for between $13 and $20. |
Description
The "Let's Start™" kit has a blue and red cover with a dog on the front, and contains an interactive book that uses exercises and activities to introduce children to numbers. The clear acetate stencil sheet is part of a packet of activity pieces, including a cleaning sponge, counting coins, a magic pen, and a counting frame. On the back of the kit, it reads in part, "This product is suitable for use only by children over 4 years of age." The "Optical Illusions" kit has a multi- colored cover with various geometric shapes, and reads in part, "Only for use by children over 8 years of age and under adult supervision." The black pen is included with an activity book and various shapes and images used to perform optical experiments.
Hazard
The red painted numbers on the acetate stencil sheet included in the "Let's Start™" kit contain lead; and the gold paint bearing the words "Kasy's Extrafine" on the black pen included in the "Optical Illusions" kit has lead.
Remedy
Consumers should immediately remove the stencil sheets and pens from the activity kits and discard them. Customers should call Advantage Publishers Group to order a replacement piece.
Incidents and injuries
CPSC and Advantage Publishers Group have not received any reports of incidents. This recall is being conducted to prevent the possibility of injuries. Lead poisoning is a serious hazard to children, and is associated with behavioral problems, learning disabilities, hearing problems and growth retardation.
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-01193. 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.