CPSC, Käthe Kruse Doll Co. Announce Recall of “Selecta” Wooden Toys
Kids’ product recall 00-033. Announced by CPSC on Dec 15, 1999.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own notice is on cpsc.gov.
The short answer
Announced by CPSC on Dec 15, 1999. Copied from CPSC on Oct 19, 2026.
Every line below is in CPSC’s own words, with its source beside it.
What’s wrong with it?
The balls included with these toys are banned because they present a serious risk of choking deaths to young children.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What should you do?
Consumers should take these toys away from young children immediately, and return them to the store where purchased for a refund. Consumers who purchased the toys from a website should contact the website to make arrangements for returning the toys for a refund.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
- How to reach the firm: For more information, consumers should call Käthe Kruse Doll Co. at (518) 273-0726.
Which ones are recalled?
The Selecta brand toys being recalled are the “Quatrino” wooden shape sorter toys, “Sorting Box” shape sorter toys, “Favola” shape sorter toys, and “Kugelbahn” ball chute toys. The Selecta Quatrino wooden shape sorter toy has eight sides. There are shapes cut out of the top of the toy for inserting various wooden shaped pieces, including the two small balls. Four brightly colored doors on the side of the toy slide up to open the storage area for the wooden pieces. A sticker on one side of the toy shows a bee, and “with beeswax” is written on the sticker in various languages. The Selecta Sorting Box wooden shape sorter toy has four sides. There are shapes cut out of the top of the toy for inserting various wooden-shaped pieces, including two small balls. A brightly colored door on the top of the toy slides out to open the storage area for the wooden pieces, including the two small balls. A sticker on the toy reads, “Selecta Spieizeug,” and “Made in Germany.” The Selecta Favola wooden shape sorter toy resembles a medieval castle with four sides and four cylindrical turrets. There is a wooden panel near the top of the toy that opens horizontally, allowing access to shape cut-outs for inserting various wooden pieces, including two small balls. A sticker on the bottom of the toy shows a bee, and “with beeswax” is written in various languages. The Selecta Kugelbahn wooden ball chute is a toy consisting of a series of four chutes attached to each other in an angled position designed to allow the two small balls included with the toy to descend and sound a number of bells that are attached to the chutes along the way. The toy includes a wooden painted clown attached to the center of the top chute. The “Selecta” brand logo appears on the front of the base of the toy.
About 2,400 units, as CPSC gives them.
Selecta wooden toys: “Quatrino” wooden shape sorter toys, “Sorting Box” shape sorter toys, “Favola” shape sorter toys, and “Kugelbahn” ball chute toys.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
CPSC’s photos
CPSC shows 1 photo on its notice. Hearth Record doesn’t copy them; each opens on cpsc.gov.
Who made and sold it?
- Imported by Käthe Kruse Doll Co., Troy, N.Y.
- Toy stores and websites sold these toys, from January 1997 through November 1999, for $30 to $80.
- Made in Germany, as the notice gives it.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Was anyone hurt?
The CPSC and Käthe Kruse Doll Co. are not aware of any injuries involving the small balls contained in these toys. This recall is being conducted to prevent possible injuries.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What the record doesn’t say
- The notice lists no UPCs, so check the model, the description and the photos.
- The notice lists no model numbers in a field of their own; its description may give them.
- How many have been returned or fixed isn’t in the notice.
Hearth Record wrote these lines.
Sources
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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Recalls API.
Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.
Recalls of kids’ and home products are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record. Copied on Oct 19, 2026.