Little Tikes Co. Recalls "Little Tikes Crib Centers" Due to Lead Paint Hazard

PRODUCT: 16,300 crib toys made by the Little Tikes Company known as "Little Tikes Crib Centers," model number 1525.

PROBLEM: Lead in the red stripes on the candy cane roller exceeds federal government standards presenting a safety hazard for young children.

WHAT TO DO: Return to the store where purchased for a product exchange or full refund. For more information, consumers may call the Little Tikes Company at 1-800-382-7171.

WASHINGTON, DC -- In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Little Tikes Company of Hudson, OH, is voluntarily recalling 16,300 Little Tikes Crib Centers, model number 1525. Testing the crib center in accordance with regulations under the Consumer Product Safety Act revealed a level of lead in the red stripes on the candy cane roller which exceeds government standards and presents a safety hazard for young children.

Neither CPSC nor the company is aware of any injuries involving these products. This voluntary recall is being conducted to prevent the possibility of injury.

The Little Tikes Crib Center is an infant crib toy that measures 18-1/2 inches long, 3-3/4 inches wide and 14-1/2 inches high. It is intended to be mounted on an inside crib rail. The crib center has nine large bright features including the red and white cylindrical candy cane roller. The roller is 4-1/4 inches long and three inches in diameter. The label on the carton in which the crib center was sold reads in part: " . . . CRIB CENTER, LITTLE TIKES, MADE IN USA." The model number, 1525, is molded on the back of the product, next to Little Tikes' toll- free 800 telephone number.

A new purple and white-striped candy cane roller that meets all safety standards has been substituted for the unsafe roller. The revised crib center with purple stripes has a fluorescent orange dot on the package and is not being recalled. The revised product has been sold in retail stores since mid-February 1992.

The Little Tikes Crib Center was sold nationwide at a variety of retail stores from November 1991 through January 1992. The Crib Center sold for an estimated price of $20.00 each.

Consumers are urged to dismantle the recalled Little Tikes Crib Centers from crib rails immediately and return them to the store where purchased for a product exchange or full refund. For more information, consumers may contact the Little Tikes Company at 1-800-382-7171.

The potentially hazardous toys were reported by the Little Tikes Company under section 15 of the Consumer Product Safety Act.

CPSC is announcing this recall as part of its mission to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury and death associated with consumer products. The Commission's objective is to reduce the estimated 28.5 million injuries and 21,600 deaths associated each year with the 15,000 different types of consumer products under CPSC's jurisdiction.

Lead in the red stripes on the candy cane roller exceeds government standards.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from the unreasonable risk of injury or death from 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury and for information on CPSC's fax-on-demand service, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To order a press release through fax-on-demand, call (301) 504-0051 from the handset of your fax machine and enter the release number. Consumers can report product hazards to info@cpsc.gov.

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