Hearth Record

CPSC, Burger King Corporation Announce Voluntary Recall of Pokemon Ball

Kids’ product recall 00-046. Announced by CPSC on Dec 27, 1999.

CPSC’s own notice, on cpsc.gov

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 27, 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 may pose a suffocation hazard to children under three years of age. Pokemon balls are the ball-shaped plastic containers that hold Pokemon toys in Burger King kids meals. Either half of the Pokemon ball can become stuck on a child’s face, covering the nose and mouth and may cause suffocation of a child under three years of age.

Source:

CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.

What should you do?

Consumers should immediately take the balls away from children under the age of three. They should discard the ball or return both halves of the ball to a Burger King restaurant for a free small order of french fries. Consumers may continue to use the Pokemon toy that came inside the ball. Burger King restaurants will continue to distribute the Pokemon toys in balls with Burger King Big Kids Meals, but the Pokemon balls will no longer be included with the toy in the regular kids club meals, generally intended for younger children. Consumers should not allow younger children under the age of three to play with these balls.

Source:

CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.

  • How to reach the firm: Burger King’s Consumer Relations phone number is 305-378-3535, which operates Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. east coast time.

Which ones are recalled?

The Pokemon balls are plastic ball-shaped containers between 2” and 3” in diameter. They pull apart to reveal one of 57 different Pokemon toys inside. The balls were distributed in a variety of colors including red and white, and hot pink. Packaging described them as safety tested and recommended for all ages of children.

More than 25 million units, as CPSC gives them.

Pokemon Balls.

Source:

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?

  • Distributed by Burger King Corporation.
  • Burger King restaurants nationwide distributed the Pokemon balls inside Burger King Kids Club Meals and regular kids meals from early November through December, 1999.
Source:

CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.

Was anyone hurt?

A 13-month-old girl reportedly suffocated when one-half of a Pokemon ball covered her nose and mouth. An 18-month-old girl reportedly also had a ball-half stuck over her face, causing her distress. However, the girl’s father (on the second attempt) pulled the ball-half from her face.

Source:

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.
Source:

Hearth Record wrote these lines.

Sources

  • 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.

Source:

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.

How to read a record

Four things every record does, shown on an example record made up for this guide.

An example record, made up for this guide

An example nursing home

Made up for this guide: no real place is shown

Not fully inspected in over two years (CMS flag)

11 health citations at the latest inspection cycle

The state average is 14.3.

Source:

CMS, State and US Averages and Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 8, 2026. Updated monthly.

From the homeNone yet. Replies and paid listings aren’t open, and when they open they will sit here, below the record.

1 of 4

Every fact names its source.

Who published it, when, and how often it changes sit beside each fact, with a link to the agency’s own file.

Sign in

A free account keeps your watch list, shortlists, comparisons and saved searches on every device, and can email you when something you watch changes. Browsing never needs one.