McDonald's is recalling a Hello Kitty-themed whistle given to children in Happy Meals, citing a chance they could choke on some of its parts.
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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Monday that two children have reportedly coughed out pieces of the whistle that they had sucked into their mouths, including one child who received medical attention.
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The safety agency said that parts of the three-inch tall "Hello Kitty Birthday Lollipop" whistle can detach and be inhaled, posing a risk to small children. The recalled whistles are red and were included in a plastic Hello Kitty figurine holding a pink heart-shaped lollipop. The whistle can be removed and used to make sounds by inhaling or exhaling through the mouthpiece. A picture of Hello Kitty appears on both sides of the whistle. The text "©1976, 2014 SANRIO CO., LTD." appears above Hello Kitty's face on the whistle, and "Made for McDonald's China CCW Chine" appears below Hello Kitty's face on the whistle. The bag in which the toy is packaged includes the text "Hello Kitty® Birthday Lollipop" and the number "6" in the upper right corner.
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McDonald's handed out about 2.3 million of these whistles in the U.S. and 200,000 in Canada from October through November in Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals.
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Consumers should return the whistle to any McDonald's for a free replacement toy.
For additional information, contact McDonald's at (800) 244-6227 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT, seven days a week, or visit the firm's website at www.mcdonalds.com.
You can also call the CPSC at 800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054) between 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET.
(The Associated Press also contributed to this report.)
