| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT: Ken Giles |
| January 6, 1997 |
(301) 504-7052 |
| Release # 97-054 |
| |
CPSC and Dairy Queen Recall Toy Water Batons
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), International Dairy Queen Inc. (IDQ) of Minneapolis, Minn., is voluntarily recalling 150,000 toy water batons distributed with kids meals. When a child sucks or chews on the baton's end-cap, the cap can come off releasing small, plastic balls from inside the baton. The end-cap and the balls present a choking hazard to young children.
IDQ has received eight reports of the baton's end-cap coming off. No injuries have been reported.
The toy water baton is a clear plastic rod, measuring 9 inches long, with glitter and blue, purple, and green balls floating in water inside of the baton. There are purple caps on each end of the baton, and "Dairy Queen" is printed on the rod.

The toy batons were distributed with kids meals at Dairy Queen stores nationwide from June through October 1996.
Consumers should immediately take these toy batons away from young children, and return them to their local Dairy Queen store. Dairy Queen stores are offering consumers a free kids meal or ice cream sundae for each baton returned. For more information, consumers may call IDQ at 1-800-956-9565.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about your experience with the product on SaferProducts.gov
CPSC is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the thousands of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $900 billion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals - contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054 for the hearing impaired. Consumers can obtain news release and recall information at www.cpsc.gov, on Twitter @OnSafety or by subscribing to CPSC's free e-mail newsletters.