A doctor playset that can make your kid sick? If you bought these 7 products, return them

John Tufts, Indianapolis Star
Updated ·8 min read

A small child pretending to be a doctor could get sick after using a toy flagged by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for having dangerous levels of harmful chemicals.

The "Litti City Premier Doctor Playset" sold on Amazon and Walmart.com exceeds the amount of phthalates, which make plastics more durable, but, according to the National Institute for Health, can affect a child's reproductive and brain development.

The toy has since been recalled, according to the CPSC, which listed dozens of other products last month that customers should promptly exchange, repair or return.

Here are seven products you should be aware of, why they're dangerous, and who you should contact for a possible refund.

To stay up to date with more consumer product recalls, check out this ongoing list curated by USA TODAY.

1. High powered magnetic balls

What: High-Powered Magnetic Balls sold Exclusively on Walmart.com through Joybuy

Why it's dangerous: The recalled 5mm magnetic ball sets do not comply with the requirements of the mandatory federal magnet regulation because the sets contain one or more magnets that fit within CPSC’s small parts cylinder, and the magnets are stronger than permitted.

When high-powered magnets are swallowed, the ingested magnets can attract each other, or another metal object, and become lodged in the digestive system. This can result in perforations, twisting and/or blockage of the intestines, infection, blood poisoning, and death.

Who to contact: Call Joybuy Marketplace Express collect at 302-426-4543 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday, by email at oversea-service@jd.com, or online at https://www.walmart.com/seller/16214 for more information.

2. Simpson Gas Pressure Washer

What: Simpson Gas Pressure Washers with Electric Start, sold exclusively at Lowe's

Why it's dangerous: The lithium battery in the electric start system can overheat, posing a burn hazard.

Who to contact: Call FNA Group Inc. toll-free at 866-733-8468 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, by email at voluntaryrecall@simpsoncleaning.com or online at https://simpsoncleaning.com/voluntaryrecall or www.simpsoncleaning.com and click on the “Voluntary Recall” tab for more information.

3. Hover-1 Helix hoverboards

What: Hover-1 Helix hoverboards (Camouflage and Galaxy colors only), sold through Amazon.com and Walmart.com

Why it's dangerous: The recalled hoverboard’s lithium-ion battery can overheat, posing a fire hazard. There have been three reports of fire with this product so far, which are associated with five reports of people experiencing headaches, nausea, or cough from smoke inhalation and approximately $25,000 in reported property damage.

The recalled hoverboards have serial numbers containing 15914, 19203, or 19988 as the fifth code in the six-code serial number affixed to the bottom of the board. The hoverboards were sold in camouflage and galaxy colors. “Hover-1” is printed on the front of the hoverboard. The model “Hover-1 Helix” and the serial number are printed on separate labels on the bottom of the hoverboard.

Who to contact: Call DGL toll-free at 888-556-8426 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or online at https://www.hover-1.com/pages/important-safety-information or www.hover-1.com and click on “Important Recall Information” at the top of the page.

4. Litti City Premier Doctor Playset

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall of several products in December, which include the Litti City Premier Doctor Playset due to dangerous levels of phthalates, a group of chemicals used to make plastics more durable, but in high concentrations are harmful.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall of several products in December, which include the Litti City Premier Doctor Playset due to dangerous levels of phthalates, a group of chemicals used to make plastics more durable, but in high concentrations are harmful.

What: Litti City Premier Doctor Playset and Teacher Purse Set, Litti Pritti Stylist Handbag Set, and Prextex Slime Eggs

Why it's dangerous: All the dress-up playsets and the slime eggs contain levels of certain phthalates that exceed the federal phthalate standard. In addition, the Litti City teacher purse dress-up playset, the Litti Pritti handbag playset, and the slime eggs contain levels of lead that exceed the federal lead content ban. Lead and phthalates are toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.

Who to contact: Call Perch toll-free at 888-359-4676 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, email at playsets@realtimeresults.net, or online at www.recallrtr.com/playsets, https://www.perchhq.com/ and click on “Recall” at the top of the page for more information, or at https://www.prextex.com/ and click on “Recall” at the top of the page for more information.

5. Bubba Bull Plush Toys

What: Bubba Bull Plush Toys

Why it's dangerous: The eyes of the plush toys can break off, posing a choking hazard to young children. This recall involves certain Bubba Bull (Style 45541) Plush Toys with date code 1945. The date code is printed on a white tag on the plush toys. The plush stuffed toys are brown with off-white bull horns and Mary Meyer is printed on the seam label.

Who to contact: Call Mary Meyer Corp. at 800-451-4387 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, by email at Recall@marymeyer.com or online at www.marymeyer.com/recall/ or at www.marymeyer.com and click on “Safety Recall Notices” at the bottom of the page for more information.

6. Polaris Industries RZR 200 youth off-road vehicle

What: Polaris RZR 200 Youth recreational off-road vehicle. Model Year 2021-2024 RZR 200 Youth ROVs

Why it's dangerous: The steering system can lock up while in use, posing a crash hazard and risk of serious injury to children. There have been 19,000 units sold in the U.S., as well as 950 sold in Canada. Polaris has received 32 reports of the steering system locking, including two reports of crashes and two reports of rollover/tip over, which resulted in two injuries involving abrasions.

Who to contact: To have the vehicle repaired, call Polaris at 800-765-2747 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or online at www.polaris.com and click on “Product Safety News” located under the “Safety Column” at the bottom of the page or www.polaris.com/en-us/recalls to check if your vehicle identification number (VIN) is included in any recalls. Consumers can contact Polaris’ owner connections team at Owner.Connections@polaris.com or via an online forum accessible at www.polaris.com/en-us/off-road/owner-resources/help-center/email.

7. Blendjet 2 Portable Blenders

What: BlendJet 2 Portable Blenders, sold at Costco, Walmart, Target and other nationwide stores.

Why it's dangerous: The recalled blenders can overheat or catch fire and the blender blades can break off, posing fire and laceration hazards to consumers. About 4.8 million have been sold.

There have been approximately 329 reports of the blades breaking while in use, and an additional 17 reports of overheating or fires resulting in property damage claims of approximately $150,000, according to CPSC. The firm has received about 49 reports of minor burns and one report of a laceration injury.

Who to contact: Call BlendJet toll-free at 844-334-0562 from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or online at www.blendjet.com/safetyandrecall or www.blendjet.com and click on “Recall Information” at the top of the page for more information.

Paper or cloth?: This popular grocery store chain is ditching plastic bags

How to report an unsafe product

You can remain anonymous and alert people to unsafe products by reporting them to the CPSC on its website at saferproducts.gov/IncidentReporting or by calling their hotline, Mon-Fri from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at (800) 638-2772.

John Tufts covers trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Consumer product recalls in 2023, 2024 you should know about