Playskool Recalls Tool Bench Toys After Multiple Deaths

Toymaker Playskool and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall Friday of about 255,000 of its “Team Talkin’ Tool Bench” toys following the deaths of two young children.

Playskool, a unit of Hasbro Inc., said it received reports that a 19-month-old boy from Martinsburg, W.Va., and a 2-year-old boy from League City, Texas, suffocated when oversized, plastic toy nails sold with the tool bench toys became lodged in their throats.

According to an article at cnn.com, the company said it is recalling the product even though the toy nails are not considered a small part, and the toys are intended for children age 3 and older.

According to CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson, the packaging for the toy did not have a choking hazard warning because none of its parts is considered to be a “small part” as classified by the agency.

Wolfson said the typical measurement for a small toy part is 2-1/2 inches in length and 1.75 inches in width, or smaller.

The Team Talkin’ Tool Bench is a 20-inch tall plastic toy tool bench with an animated red toy saw, a yellow toy drill and a blue toy vice.

The toy talks and makes various sound effects. The product also includes a toy hammer, screwdriver, two 2-1/4-inch plastic screws, two 3-inch plastic nails and pieces to build a small toy plane.

The red Playskool logo is on the front of the brown surface of the tool bench.

The toy was sold at Toys R Us, Wal-Mart (Charts), Target (Charts), KB Toys stores and various other stores nationwide from October 2005 through September 2006, priced at about $35.

The CPSC said consumers should immediately take the two toy nails away from children and contact Playskool to get information on returning the nails for a $50 certificate for another Playskool product.