In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), KFC Corp., a unit of Tricon Global Restaurants Inc. (NYSE:YUM) is voluntarily recalling about 425,000 Tangled Treeples toys included with KFC Kids Meals after a 19-month old girl had the container from the toy stuck over her nose and mouth.The container itself is now considered a choking hazard to children under age three, and should be taken away immediately.
The Tangled Treeples toy’s green, plastic container, which measures about 3 inches in diameter and 1.25 inches deep, has trees molded on the outside. Inside are seven “Tangled Treeples” animal figures, including a monkey, owl, snake, raccoon and bear. Children can empty the animals out of the container and link them to form a chain. Writing on the outside of the container reads, “Treeples(TM)” and “Made in China.”
The child who nearly suffocated was saved by her mother, who removed the container, leaving a visible mark on the girl’s face.
Louisville, Kentucky-based KFC included the Tangled Treeples toys with its kids meals at restaurants across the United States in June and July 2000.
Customers should discard the container or return it to any KFC restaurant for an individual-sized side item, such as macaroni and cheese. For more information, consumers can call KFC at 800-CALL-KFC at any time, or visit the company’s web site at www.kfc.com.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from unreasonable risks 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, call CPSC’s hotline at 800-638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at 800-638-8270, or visit CPSC’s web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/talk.html.
For information on CPSC’s fax-on-demand service, call the above numbers or visit the web site at http://cpsc.gov/about/who.html. 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 obtain this and other free recall information at CPSC’s web site at http://www.cpsc.gov.