Foam Bath Blocks Recalled
Home product recall 85-071. Announced by CPSC on Dec 31, 1985.
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The short answer
Announced by CPSC on Dec 31, 1985. 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
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What should you do?
The notice gives no remedy in a field of its own.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Which ones are recalled?
Foam Bath Blocks Recalled NEWS from CPSC U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 31, 1985 Release # 85-071 Foam Bath Blocks Recalled In cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the stores listed below today announced a voluntary recall of soft bath blocks they sold beginning about August, 1985. These bath blocks pose a potential danger if small children bite off pieces large enough to lodge in their throats and cause them to choke or suffocate. To date, these products are not known to have caused any such injuries. The blocks are made of a dense foam material, come in different shapes and colors in a 20-piece set, and when wet, they stick together. ‘Iccr The top of the box is labeled “20-piece set Soft Bath Blocks, Cling to Each Other. Use to Build Towers, Pyramids, Boats, Castles and More. Light enough to Float. Ages 6 months to Adult,” and in smaller type, “Item #5768.” The side of the box is labeled “Distributed by AMC, NY, NY 10018” or “Manufactured by Ohsawa Trading Company, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.” The blocks sell at retail for approximately $10.00. An estimated 19,000 sets have been distributed nationwide. The stores that have sold the soft bath blocks are: Daytons-Minneapolis, Minnesota; Hudsons-Minneapolis, Minnesota; Brandeis- Omaha, Nebraska; Abraham and Strauss-Brooklyn, New York; Godchaux-Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Liberty House-Honolulu, Hawaii; Foley’s-Houston, Texas; Burdines-Miami, Florida; Rich’s-Atlanta, Georgia; Woodward and Lothrop- Washington, D.C.; Higbee’s-Cleveland, Ohio: Bloomingdales-New York, New York; Boston Store-Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Sanger Harris-Dallas, Texas; Bullock’s-Los Angeles, California; Lazarus-Columbus, Ohio; Shillito Rikes- Cincinnati, Ohio; and Hudson Bay Company-Toronto, Canada. Consumers should remove these products from use immediately and return them by mail or in person to the retailer where purchased for a refund of the purchase price and postage or transportation costs. Anyone wishing additional information may contact the store where the product was purchased, or the CPSC toll-free hotline at 800-638-CPSC. The Commission’s teletypewriter number for the hearing-impaired is (301) 595-7054.
Soft Bath Blocks foam building blocks.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Who made and sold it?
- Made by Associated Merchandising (AMC).
- Made by Foley’s.
- Made by Sanger Harris.
- Made by Burdines.
- Made by Woodward.
- Made by Lothrop.
- Made by Rich’s.
- Made by Boston Store.
- Made by Ohsawa.
- Made by Godchaux.
- Made by Shillito Rikes.
- Made by Lazarus.
- Made by Bloomingdale’s.
- Made by Brandeis.
- Made by Abraham & Strauss.
- Made by Dayton’s.
- Made by Liberty House, Hawaii.
- Made by Hudson Bay.
- Made by Higbee’s.
- Made by Bullock’s.
- Made by Hudson’s.
- Made in Japan, as the notice gives it.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Was anyone hurt?
The notice doesn’t say whether anyone was hurt.
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.