7 million Baby Shark bath toys recalled for 'posing risks of impalement'

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall for more than 7 million Baby Shark toys.

Zuru, which makes the toys, has issued the recall for its Robo Alive Junior Baby Shark Sing & Swim Bath Toys (full-size) and Robo Alive Junior Mini Baby Shark Swimming Bath Toys (mini-size).

“When using the recalled bath toys, particularly in a bathtub or wading pool, a child can slip and fall or sit onto the hard plastic top fin of the shark, posing risks of impalement, lacerations and punctures,” the commission said June 22 in its release about the recall.

While there have been no reports of any accidents involving the Mini Baby Shark bath toys, the commission said that Zuru has been informed of 12 incidents of kids “falling or sitting onto the recalled full-size Baby Shark bath toy, resulting in impalement injuries, lacerations and puncture wounds, including to children’s genital, anorectal and facial areas. Nine of the incidents required stitches or medical attention.”

The toys are based on the popular “Baby Shark” song. The recalled full-size toys, which sing and swim in water, come with a hard plastic top with a trio of grooves on one side and came in yellow, pink or blue. They were sold individually and in packs of three.

The mini toys, which swim in water, but do not sing, also feature a hard plastic top and were also sold in yellow, pink or blue. They were sold individually, or in packs of two or three, as well as part of a Baby Shark Music Water Park playset.

The full-size Baby Shark bath toys were sold from May 2019 through March 2023 for between $13 and $15, while the Mini Baby Shark bath toys were sold individually and in multi-unit packs from July 2020 through June 2023 for between $6 and $20.

The commission recommended people “immediately stop using the recalled bath toys and contact Zuru for a full refund of $14 for each full-size bath toy or $6 for each mini-size bath toy, in the form of a prepaid virtual Mastercard.

“Consumers should disable the tail fin (by cutting it on the full-size bath toy or by bending it on the mini-size bath toy), mark the body of the shark bath toy with the word ‘recalled’ and the unique code provided during registration for the recall, then upload a photo of the product, showing it is disabled and marked, at https://www.recallrtr.com/bathshark. Upon receipt of the photo, Zuru will issue a refund to purchasers.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com