Burger King Is Recalling Pokemon Balls
After the suffocation death of a 13-month-old girl, Burger King Corp. on Monday announced a voluntary recall of more than 25 million Pokemon balls, another setback in the fast-food chain’s $22-million promotion.
The Miami-based company said the “Poke Balls”--red-and-white ball-shaped plastic containers--may pose a hazard to children under age 3.
The containers, made by Equity Marketing Inc. in Los Angeles, are used to hold Pokemon toys that Burger King offered to customers during a 56-day promotion that was one of the largest in the history of the fast-food industry.
The balls, which are less than 3 inches in diameter, pull apart to reveal a toy inside. Half of the container could become stuck on a child’s face, Burger King said.
A girl in Northern California reportedly suffocated this month when one-half of a Pokemon ball covered her nose and mouth. Burger King also was contacted by a man who said his 18-month-old daughter had a ball stuck over her face but he pulled the ball away and his daughter was not injured, Burger King spokeswoman Kim Miller said. “We have never been linked or associated with a death in any way, so obviously we are taking this very seriously,” Miller said.
The packaging on the balls described them as safety-tested and recommended for children of all ages. Miller said parents should immediately take the balls away from children younger than 3.
The Pokemon toy “meets or exceeds all federal safety guidelines,” said Ria Carlson, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles-based Equity Marketing.
Burger King plans to continue to distribute Pokemon toys in balls sold with Big Kids’ Meals for older children until the promotion ends Sunday. But toys intended for younger children no longer will be distributed with these containers, Miller said.
Customers can return their Pokemon balls and receive a free order of French fries through March 15.
On Monday night, word of the recall apparently had not filtered down to some restaurants, at least in Orange County. Employees at four restaurants said they knew nothing about the recall and were still distributing the balls. Another Burger King had completely run out of toys and containers.
“As of today, nothing has been said to us about anything,” said one assistant manager, adding that the Costa Mesa restaurant will continue to distribute toys with Kids’ Meals “until they tell us to stop.”
Miller said Burger King worked with the Consumer Products Safety Commission on how to conduct the recall. In addition to signs at all of the restaurants, there will also be full-page newspaper ads.
Federal regulations compel companies to notify the Consumer Product Safety Commission within days if they get information that indicates a product does not meet safety standards or may be hazardous.
Companies can pay a high price for not reporting problems in a timely fashion. In June, McDonald’s Corp. agreed to pay a $4-million fine for failing to report quickly enough hundreds of injuries suffered by children playing on its Big Mac Climber jungle gyms.
Burger King’s promotion is by far the chain’s most successful, with some restaurants at one point selling 1,000 Kids’ Meals a day. It is part of the phenomenon connected to “Pokemon: The First Movie.”
The recall is the latest setback for a promotion that started as the envy of the restaurant industry--pegged to the year’s hottest fad. In an effort to lure parents and their kids back repeatedly, Burger King planned to offer a different toy every day.
The promotion quickly turned sour when Burger King didn’t have enough toys to meet demand, drawing criticism from angry parents and tears from disappointed children.
Earlier this month, Burger King President Paul Clayton, acknowledging that one of the most successful promotions in the chain’s history had become a public relations nightmare, took out full-page ads in major newspapers to apologize.
Times staff writers Robin Fields and Leslie Earnest contributed to this report.
