Paperweights and Pens Recalled by Shelby
Home product recall 97-043. Announced by CPSC on Dec 17, 1996.
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The short answer
Announced by CPSC on Dec 17, 1996. 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?
Poisoning
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?
Paperweights and Pens Recalled by Shelby NEWS from CPSC U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207 Note: Firm is out of business. Do not use these products. Please discard or destroy these products. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Ken Giles Originally issued December 17, 1996; Revised July 3, 2002 (301) 504-7052 Release # 97-043 CPSC and Shelby Ltd. Announce Novelty Product Recalls WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Shelby Ltd., Division of Wang’s International, of Memphis, Tenn., recalled about 40,000 paperweights and pens because they contain kerosene or other petroleum distillates and many were sold to children. If the paperweights or pens break and leak, the liquid can be hazardous if inhaled into the lungs or swallowed. The liquid could also be combustible, presenting a flammability hazard. Shelby Ltd. has received at least 10 reports of the paperweights breaking and releasing their contents. No injuries have been reported. The plastic paperweights came in the following five styles: Ocean In The Box, Floating Eye, Antique Car, Magic Diamond, and Water Timer. The paperweights were individually packaged in cardboard boxes bearing the name of the style. The pen, which is clear plastic with an eyeball in the middle, is packaged in a cellophane wrap and bears no labeling. The paperweights and pen were sold nationwide through school stores to children from kindergarten through the sixth grade from October through December 1996 for about $4 to $5. Consumers should take the paperweights and pens away from children immediately, and discard or destroy them. The firm is out of business and cannot be contacted.
Wang’s Floating Eye, Antique Car plastic paperweights, Wang’s Magic Diamond plastic paperweights, Wang’s Ocean In The Box plastic paperweights, Wang’s pens and Wang’s Water Timer plastic paperweights.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Who made and sold it?
- Made by Wang’s International.
- Made by Shelby Ltd..
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.