Safety Board Announces Recalls of Toys, Books, Bikes, Chairs

With the holiday shopping season under way, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced massive recalls of a number of products, most of which have small parts that might cause a child to choke. The makers of all the products have agreed to go along with the recalls. Most of the products can be taken back to where they were purchased for full refunds. The items include:

* The children’s book “Christmas in the Manger” by Nola Buck and Felicia Bond (HarperCollins Inc.). Forty-six thousand copies are being recalled because one page is decorated with plastic jewels that can peel off and are small enough to be swallowed by small children.

* About 2.5 million beanbag chairs made by Baseline Design Division of Crain Industries Inc. of Fort Smith, Ark., and sold nationwide by Kmart Corp., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other big retailers. Agency Chairman Ann Brown said a 19-month-old Missouri boy died after he unzipped the bag and crawled inside, and one girl nearly suffocated after her brother zipped her inside a chair. The maker has offered to replace the chairs with new ones that don’t have zippers, Brown said. Other beanbag-chair makers are being urged to stop using zippers.

* Hasbro Inc.’s Kid Dimension’s Littlest Pet Shop Tea Sets. The small plastic animals on the teapot and sugar bowl can come off and become choking hazards.

* Imaginarium’s $22.95 battery-operated “Fun Music Center,” which has keys, drums, cymbals and two bells. It does not meet small-parts safety standards.

* A bicycles made by Specialized Bicycle Components Inc., Cannondale Corp. and the Fisher Bicycle Division of Trek Bicycle Corp. The agency said 186,700 are being recalled because their seat post bolts can break or crack, and another 21,000 bikes made by Specialized, Answer Products Inc., Girvin Inc. and Marzocchi Suspension will be called in because of reports of front forks breaking. Riders can check with their bike shops to see if their models are on the recall list.