CPSC, Sassy Inc. Announce Recall to Replace Rattles
Kids’ product recall 02-030. Announced by CPSC on Oct 31, 2001.
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 Oct 31, 2001. 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 sewn-on spherical-shaped fabric eyes on the rattles can detach, posing a choking hazard to small children.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What should you do?
Consumers should immediately take these toys away from young children and return them to Sassy to receive a free replacement toy. Consumers should call Sassy for information on how to receive the replacement toy.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
- How to reach the firm: Consumers may call Sassy at (800) 323-6336 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday.
Which ones are recalled?
The rattles involved in the recall include: “Lily Pad Rattle” - A green frog with four plastic legs and a multi-colored belly. “Bitty Kitty Rattle” - A clear, plastic tube filled with beads connects a purple, cat-like face to a purple ball. Three plastic pieces encircle the plastic tube and make a rattle sound when shaken. “This Little Piggy Rattle” - A pink pig-like face is connected to a green ball by a yellow and pink arm and a blue arm. Beads inside the green ball make a rattle sound when shaken. “Goo Goo Goldfish” - A multi-colored fish with pink lips, an orange fin, and a clear, plastic tube that connects the head to the tail. Beads inside the tube make a rattle sound when shaken. “Smoochie Poochie Rattle” - A blue, puppy-like face with green spotted ears is connected to a blue and green spotted body. Five plastic pieces encircle the body and make a rattle sound when shaken. “Crinkly Crown Dragon Rattle” - A green dragon with a scaled, curved tail. Three blue ridges protrude from the dragon’s back. A caretag attached to the head of each rattle reads in part, “Sassy” and “1999 Made in China.” Rattles with the same appearance but embroidered eyes are not involved in this recall.
About 455,000 units, as CPSC gives them.
Soft Rattles.
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 Sassy Inc., Northbrook, Ill.
- Toy and mass merchandise stores nationwide sold these rattles, from August 1999 through mid-October 2001, for about $5.
- Made in China, as the notice gives it.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Was anyone hurt?
Sassy has received 129 reports of eyes detaching from the rattles, including some incidents in which eyes were found in children’s mouths. One of these children started to choke on a detached eye and a parent used the Heimlich maneuver to remove the eye.
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.