Toy Motorboat Recalled; Seized During CPSC/U.S. Customs Operation
Kids’ product recall 88-097. Announced by CPSC on Nov 21, 1988.
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The short answer
Announced by CPSC on Nov 21, 1988. 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?
November 21, 1988 Release # 88-097 Toy Motorboat Recalled; Seized During CPSC/U.S. Customs Operation WASHINGTON -- “Cap’n Mickey’s Motorboat,” an Illco pre-school toy imported from China, is being recalled by Child World Inc., of Avon, Massachusetts, because the propeller of the wind-up boat can come off and may cause choking in young children.The recalled toy, model #8230, is a six-inch long red white and blue plastic motorboat with seated figures of Goofy, Donald Duck, and Cap’n Mickey Mouse that “jiggle” when the boat is moved. A wind-up key activates a propeller to move the boat in water; wheels allow the boat to be pushed on the floor. Approximately 10,000 were sold nationally for about $5. Consumers should take the toy away from young children immediately and return it to the store where purchased for a refund of the purchase price or exchange it for a toy of similar value. Neither the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) nor Child World Inc. is aware of injuries associated with this toy.U.S. Customs Service identified the potentially hazardous toy at the port of Newark, New Jersey during “Operation Toyland,” a joint import surveillance program with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Cap’n Mickey’s Motorboat Illco pre-school toys.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Who made and sold it?
- Made by Illco.
- Made by Child World.
- Made in China, 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.