CPSC, Rubie’s Costume Co. Inc. Announce Recall of Children’s Vampire Capes and Witch Brooms
Kids’ product recall 99-013. Announced by CPSC on Oct 28, 1998.
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 Oct 28, 1998. Copied from CPSC on Oct 22, 2026.
- About 6,000 capes and 6,000 brooms units, as CPSC gives them
- Reported injuries, in the notice (needs attention)
Every line below is in CPSC’s own words, with its source beside it.
What’s wrong with it?
The capes and the brooms, which fail to meet federal mandatory standards for flammability, could ignite readily and present a serious risk of burn injuries to children.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 22, 2026. Updated daily.
What should you do?
Consumers should not let their children wear the vampire capes or use the 27-inch witch brooms this Halloween. Consumers should return the products to the stores where purchased, for a refund.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 22, 2026. Updated daily.
- How to reach the firm: For questions about this recall, consumers should call Rubie’s Costume Co. Inc. collect at (516) 488-0484 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST Monday through Friday.
Which ones are recalled?
The vampire capes are made of black vinyl. The edges of the cape are scalloped. The capes are packaged in a plastic sleeve with a cardboard insert, which reads in part, “Child’s Vinyl Vampire Cape...No. 50282...Made in China.” The Rubie’s logo and a picture of a boy wearing the cape are also on the insert. The witch brooms are 27 inches long with a bamboo handle and brush made of twigs. The brooms were sold with a sticker around the handle, which reads in part, “Child’s Authentic Witch Broom...Style No. 85.” The Rubie’s logo is also on the sticker.
About 6,000 capes and 6,000 brooms units, as CPSC gives them.
Children’s vampire capes and witch brooms.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 22, 2026. Updated daily.
CPSC’s photos
CPSC shows 2 photos on its notice. Hearth Record doesn’t copy them; each opens on cpsc.gov.
Who made and sold it?
- Made by Rubie’s Costume Co. Inc., Richmond Hill, N.Y.
- Toy, party, costume, discount and drug stores nationwide sold the capes and brooms for about $2 each, from September 1997 to October 1998.
- Made in China, as the notice gives it.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 22, 2026. Updated daily.
Was anyone hurt?
CPSC and Rubie’s Costume Co. Inc. are not aware of any injuries involving these capes or brooms.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 22, 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 22, 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 22, 2026.