CPSC Warns Of Choking Hazard From Halloween Pumpkin Erasers

Washington, D.C. - Today on Halloween, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers that Halloween pumpkin erasers resembling candy pose a choking hazard for young children. The erasers, imported by Oriental Trading Company of Omaha, Neb., do not meet CPSC's small parts regulations under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act. CPSC issued this warning when Oriental Trading refused to join the agency in a voluntary recall of the erasers.

The Halloween Toy Eraser Assortment, model number 9/260, consists of 60 assorted erasers in the shapes of black bats, white ghosts, and orange pumpkins with green stems, which sold for $4.50 in the 1994 Oriental Trading Company Halloween catalog. The assortments are packaged in clear plastic cylindrical containers with a sticker on the lids that read, "Item No. 9/260, Q'TY :1 TUBE(60 PCS), MADE IN TAIWAN." Underneath the container's lid is a cardboard Halloween night scene with the words "Eraser Fun" printed below a haunted house. While CPSC asked Oriental Trading to stop sale on all of the erasers, the pumpkin erasers, which measure 3/4 inch long and 3/8 inch thick, pose the greatest choking risk for children under 3 years of age.

CPSC urges consumers, who may find any of these erasers in their children's bags as Halloween treats, to take them away from young children immediately. Parents and caregivers should be careful not to let younger siblings play with toys that are only appropriate for older siblings.