Hearth Record

Giggle Stick Toys Recalled by CBS Toys

Kids’ product recall 79-056. Announced by CPSC on Oct 3, 1979.

CPSC’s own notice, on cpsc.gov

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The short answer

Announced by CPSC on Oct 3, 1979. 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?

Choking

Source:

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

What should you do?

The notice gives no remedy in a field of its own.

Source:

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

Which ones are recalled?

Giggle Stick Toys Recalled by CBS Toys NEWS from CPSC U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 3, 1979 Release # 79-056 4 Million “Giggle Stick” Toys Recalled WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 3) -- CBS Toys, a division of CBS, Inc., of New York City, is voluntarily recalling four million units of a toy which may pose a choking hazard to children, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission today announced. The toy, called the Gabriel “Giggle Stick”, consists of a hollow, yellow plastic tube which, when shaken, produces noises by means of a metal reed fastened inside an interior plastic cylinder. Young children can remove the red end-caps of the toy, exposing the interior plastic cylinder which houses the small reed inside. Some reeds have fallen out of those “Giggle Sticks” designed with open-end caps. Since March, 1979, three children have choked on the reeds, according to CBS Toys. No injuries have resulted. The “Giggle Sticks” have been manufactured since December, 1978, and sold in variety stores nationwide for less than $2. The toys are advertised as suitable for children ages 3 and older. Parents should return the toys to their retailers for a refund or a new “Giggle Stick” which has been redesigned to eliminate the safety hazard. Consumers also can receive a refund or a new “Giggle Stick” by mailing their used ones to: Gabriel Industries, Longmeadow Road, P.O. Box 980, Hagerstown, Maryland, 21740. In retail stores, consumers can identify a redesigned “Giggle Stick” by looking for the words, “New, Improved” on the red cardboard flag wrapped around the toy.

CBS Toys Giggle Sticks.

Source:

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

Who made and sold it?

  • Made by CBS.
Source:

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

Was anyone hurt?

The notice doesn’t say whether anyone was hurt.

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.

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