Build-A-Bear Recalls Teddy Bear Swimwear Set Due to Strangulation Hazard
Home product recall 12-041. Announced by CPSC on Nov 16, 2011.
- CPSC: stop using it
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 Nov 16, 2011. Copied from CPSC on Oct 19, 2026.
- Stop using it what CPSC tells owners to do now (needs attention)
- Refund what’s offered
- About 19,720 units in the United States and 1,100 units in Canada units, as CPSC gives them
- Not said injuries, in the notice
Every line below is in CPSC’s own words, with its source beside it.
What’s wrong with it?
The inner tube accessory can be pulled over a small child’s head, posing a strangulation hazard.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What should you do?
Consumers should immediately stop using the inner tube and return it to any Build-A-Bear Workshop® store to receive a $5 store coupon. If it is not possible to return the inner tube to a store, consumers may contact the company for information about how to receive a refund.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
- What the company offers to fix a recalled product or vehicle: a repair, a replacement or a refund, as the recall notice says. For a vehicle, dealers make the safety repair free. Follow the notice’s own steps, or contact the company it names. Source: CPSC; NHTSA (49 U.S.C. 30120).: refund.
- How to reach the firm: For additional information, contact Build-A-Bear Workshop® toll-free at (866) 236-5683 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. CT Saturday, or visit the company’s website at www.buildabear.com
Which ones are recalled?
The inner tube is part of the three-piece Fruit Tutu Bikini swimwear set for teddy bears, which includes a two-piece fruit-print bikini. The inner tube is 9 inches in diameter and pink with white and yellow flowers printed on it. The model number of the swimwear set is 017220 and is located on the price sticker on the “Build-A-Bear” cardboard tag.
About 19,720 units in the United States and 1,100 units in Canada units, as CPSC gives them.
Swimwear Set With Inflatable Inner Tube.
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 Build-A-Bear Workshop®, St. Louis.
- Build-A-Bear Workshop® stores nationwide and online at www.buildabear.com from April 2011 to August 2011 for $12.50.
- Made in China, as the notice gives it.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Was anyone hurt?
Build-A-Bear received one report of an incident in which a 3-year-old girl pulled the inner tube over her head and had difficulty removing it.
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.