Over 7 million Baby Shark bath toys recalled due to ‘risk of impalement’

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling more than 7 million Baby Shark bath toys. Zuru, the manufacturer, says it received a dozen reports of children falling or sitting on the toys. Nine of the incidents required stitches or other medical attention. 

Zuru is participating in the recall and offering full refunds for affected toys: Robo Alive Junior Baby Shark Sing & Swim Bath Toys (full-size) and Robo Alive Junior Mini Baby Shark Swimming Bath Toys (mini-size).

“When using the recalled bath toys, particularly in a bathtub or wading pool, a child can slip and fall or sit onto the hard plastic top fin of the shark, posing risks of impalement, lacerations and punctures,” CPSC said in a press release.

The agency says there have been at least 12 reported incidents of kids “falling or sitting onto the recalled full-size Baby Shark bath toy, resulting in impalement injuries, lacerations and puncture wounds, including to children’s genital, anorectal and facial areas. Nine of the incidents required stitches or medical attention.”

The Baby Shark bath toys come in yellow, pink, and blue, and have been sold individually and in packs of two or three, from May 2019 through March 2023. They cost between $13 and $15 for the full-sized toys, and between $6 and $20 for the mini toys.

The recalled full-size bath toys have tracking label information on the bottom, including raised lettering that states model number “#25282” and a date code beginning with the letters “DG” followed by “YYYY/MM/DD” in the date range DG20190501 through DG20220619. Only full-size Baby Shark toys with a hard plastic top fin are included in this recall.

The recalled Mini Baby Shark bath toys swim when placed in water but do not sing. They have a hard plastic top fin, measure about 4-inches from nose to tail and were sold in three colors: yellow, pink and blue. They were sold individually, in packs of two or three, and as part of a Baby Shark Music Water Park playset.

The recalled mini-size bath toys have tracking label information on the bottom, including raised lettering that states model numbers “#7163,” “#7175,” “#7166,” or “#25291” and a date code beginning with the letters “DG” followed by “YYYY/MM/DD” in the date range DG2020615 through DG2023525.

How to secure a refund on recalled Baby Shark bath toys

The agency says consumers who own these toys should immediately stop using the recalled bath toys and contact Zuru for a full refund of $14 for each full-size bath toy or $6 for each mini-size bath toy, in the form of a prepaid virtual Mastercard.

Consumers should disable the tail fin (by cutting it on the full-size bath toy or by bending it on the mini-size bath toy), mark the body of the shark bath toy with the word “recalled” and the unique code provided during registration for the recall, then upload a photo of the product, showing it is disabled and marked, at https://www.recallrtr.com/bathshark. Upon receipt of the photo, Zuru will issue a refund to purchasers.