Buckyballs building sets
30 reports to CPSC, the latest made Jan 6, 2024. A report isn’t a recall.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own search is on saferproducts.gov.
At a glance
From SaferProducts.gov, released Oct 25, 2026.
- 30reports to CPSC
- Jan 6, 2024the latest report was made
- Jun 12, 2011the earliest
- 12with the company’s comments
- Brand
- Buckyballs
- Maker
- MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLCMakers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
- Product
- Building setsCPSC’s product type: Building Sets (code 1345), in Toys & Children: Toys
Other ways the reports write the brand (6)
“Bucky Balls”, “Buckeyballs”, “Bucky ball”, “Buckyball”, “Buckyballs magnetic beads” and “bucky ball”
By month
The numbers, as a table
| Month | Reports |
|---|---|
| January 2024 | 2 |
| July 2021 | 1 |
| January 2021 | 1 |
| June 2020 | 1 |
| September 2017 | 1 |
| June 2017 | 1 |
| April 2015 | 1 |
| August 2014 | 1 |
| November 2013 | 1 |
| October 2013 | 1 |
| September 2013 | 1 |
| May 2013 | 1 |
| April 2013 | 1 |
| January 2013 | 1 |
| December 2012 | 1 |
| November 2012 | 1 |
| October 2012 | 2 |
| August 2012 | 2 |
| April 2012 | 1 |
| January 2012 | 2 |
| December 2011 | 1 |
| November 2011 | 3 |
| October 2011 | 1 |
| June 2011 | 1 |
How badly anyone was hurt
- Hospital admission 22 CPSC: Injury, Hospital Admission
- Emergency room 7 CPSC: Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received
- Seen by a doctor or nurse 1 CPSC: Injury, Seen by Medical Professional
As each report says it, in short words; CPSC’s own words are under each.
The reports, as CPSC published them
Reports people made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC publishes each one after sending it to the company named, and doesn’t guarantee they’re accurate. A report isn’t a recall.
Each report is the words of the person who made it, as CPSC published them. The company’s comments, where CPSC published any, are set apart as the company’s own.
CPSC, SaferProducts.gov public database export. Released Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily.
-
Hospital admission Made Jan 6, 2024, sent to the company Jan 10, 2024, published by CPSC Feb 2, 2024
The product, in the report: 2.5mm multicolored bead magnets
Child ingested Buckyball magnets and came to hospital very sick. Had to take them emergently to operating room and remove magnets. There were multiple holes in the intestines in many areas that had to be repaired.
- Where
- United States: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 2, Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyballs magnetic beads, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Hospital admission Made Jan 4, 2024, sent to the company Jan 8, 2024, published by CPSC Jan 31, 2024
The product, in the report: Bucky Balls. Small magnets that are “toys” targeted for children.
2yo (Birthday in November) swallowed Bucky Balls, leading to need for ex-lap operation to have balls removed before they eroded through bowel.
- Where
- United States: Other
- Who was involved
- Age 2, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Bucky Balls, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Hospital admission Made Jul 6, 2021, sent to the company Jul 8, 2021, published by CPSC Jul 29, 2021
The product, in the report: 9 multi-colored bucky balls
I am an attending pediatric GI physician who is caring for a patient who ingested 9 bucky ball magnets and required endoscopic evaulation.
- Where
- United States: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 6, Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand bucky ball, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Hospital admission Made Jan 21, 2021, sent to the company Jan 29, 2021, published by CPSC Feb 19, 2021
The product, in the report: Small round rare earth magnets (Buckyballs)
9 year old with autism had unwitnessed ingestion of multiple small high powered rare earth magnets (neodymium, or bucky balls). This led to eventual entrapment of bowel segments between the magnets and fistulae formation requiring surgery and multiple bowel resections
- Model
- unknown
- UPC
- unknown
- Serial number
- unknown
- Where
- Colorado: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 9, Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Hospital admission Made Jun 23, 2020, sent to the company Jul 1, 2020, published by CPSC Jul 23, 2020
The product, in the report: 3 Bucky ball brand high-powered magnets; 5mm neodymium magnets
A 5 year old presented to our hospital after ingesting 3 Buckyball brand high-powered magnets. The father reportedly purchased Buckyball brand magnets ‘well over’ 5 years ago, before they had children. We (physicians) clarified this point with the family; the father was certain it was Buckyball brand product, as opposed to another high-powered magnet brand, and bought them shortly after the product became available in the U.S. The family still has the magnets but does not have any packaging or storage containers. They do not believe they still have receipts or proof of purchase but will double check.
The parents were aware of the dangers of these products and stored them on top of the refrigerator. From time to time, Mom stated that she will find some magnets ‘in the couch or around the house’ and that ‘they are very easy to misplace.’ She presumes this is how her 5-year old found the magnets, as the bulk of the product remained out of reach on top of the refrigerator. In addition, Mom notes that her child (5 years old) has played with the product before (while supervised) without incident, though the child was not playing with the product when the ingestion occurred.
On June 5th, 2020, the patient came to his mother and told her that he swallowed 3 high-powered magnets and that his throat hurt. Mom called the Poison Center which, in turn, referred the patient to our ED.
In our ED, his vitals were stable and normal. He had no difficulty swallowing, no difficulty handling his secretions, no respiratory distress, no drooling, no vomiting and no chest or abdominal pain. He was otherwise at baseline in terms of his health with no recent illness, fevers, vomiting, diarrhea, rashes. His physical exam was completely normal. Abdominal XR imaging was done which showed 3 rounded, radiopaque densities abutting one another, corresponding to the ingested magnetic bucky balls favored to be in the stomach but positioned in close proximity to the transverse colon. Decision was made for patient to have urgent endoscopic retrieval. He was also evaluated by pediatric surgery who agreed with plan. On endoscopy, 3 round 5mm neodymium magnets were found in the distal duodenum/early jejunum and were retrieved with a basket. There was some technical challenge and difficulty with the procedure given how much the magnets had migrated but ultimately the magnets were able to retrieved successfully. The patient recovered well after the procedure and was admitted for further care and observation. The following morning he was well appearing and stable. He was able to eat breakfast without issues. He was discharged home that day, June 6th, 2020.
- Model
- I don’t know
- Where
- Bronx, New York: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 5, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Bucky ball, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Hospital admission Made Sep 28, 2017, sent to the company Oct 6, 2017, published by CPSC Oct 30, 2017
The product, in the report: Buckyballs -small spherical neodymium magnets
Toddler swallowed 28 neodymium magnets (buckyballs) from father’s desk. 1st endoscopy attempt to remove magnets was unsuccessful as they were too distal in the small intestine. Serial x-rays showed that the magnets had not moved. F/U enteroscopy (special endoscopy technique) was successful in removal of magnets. Magnets were viewed as adherent on mucosa, which showed early evidence of injury.
- Where
- denver, Colorado: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 2, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Hospital admission Made Jun 7, 2017, sent to the company Jun 15, 2017, published by CPSC Jul 7, 2017
The product, in the report: Small rare earth magnets
I am a pediatric gastroenterologist. I recently took care of a 14 year old boy who accidentally swallowed bucky balls while pretending it was a tongue ring. He was admitted to the hospital for monitoring and had multiple Xrays. When the magnets were no longer moving on their own, he had a colonoscopy to remove them and luckily did not have any damage to his intestine.
- Where
- Saint Louis, Unspecified: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 14, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Bucky Balls, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Emergency room Made Apr 17, 2015, sent to the company May 8, 2015, published by CPSC May 22, 2015
The product, in the report: 5mm Buckyballs Silver Edition 125 Powerful rare Earth Magnets
04/16/2015 - The consumer’s child was playing with the set of magnets. A few minutes later, the child put the magnets in his mouth and accidentally swallowed three of them. The consumer’s child informed the consumer that he had swallowed some magnets.
The consumer immediately took her child to Florida Hospital’s ER in Orlando. Her son had a one-hour-and-fifteen-minute gastroendoscopic surgery in order to remove the three magnets he had swallowed. The surgery was a success and the consumer’s child is feeling well now.
The consumer believes this product poses a safety hazard. The consumer is aware that these products have been recalled. The consumer has no other incidents or injuries to report. The consumer plans on contacting the manufacturer.
- Model
- Buckyballs Silver Edition 125 Powerful rare Earth Magnets
- UPC
- Unknown
- Serial number
- Unknown
- Bought from
- Fugates, Florida
- Bought
- Apr 15, 2011, about then
- Where
- Maitland, Florida: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 10, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received
-
Hospital admission Made Aug 27, 2014, sent to the company Sep 5, 2014, published by CPSC Sep 26, 2014
The product, in the report: Magnet ball (aka “buckyballs”)
Child swallowed 3 magnet balls on 8/22/14. He was brought to the hospital on 8/25/14, and required surgery to remove the magnet balls
- Model
- I don’t know
- UPC
- I don’t know
- Serial number
- I don’t know
- Where
- BUTLER, Pennsylvania: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 2, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyball, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Hospital admission Made Nov 7, 2013, sent to the company Nov 15, 2013, published by CPSC Dec 9, 2013
The product, in the report: Small, ball magnets that are shiny and green and silver in color
4 year old female who presented to the ED with abdominal pain and vomiting of unclear cause. Parents thought she was constipated at home so they gave her Miralax but her symptoms persisted. An abdominal radiograph was obtained in the ED and showed 3 magnets (small, round earth magnets). An upper endoscopy was performed but only 2magnets were noted in the stomach with the third presumed to be in the small bowel. Given tha two magnets were embedded into the stomach wall and there was concern for perforation with or without necrosis, surgery was consulted and removed the magnets in the OR. The patient is recovering well and will soon be discharged.
- Where
- Unspecified: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 4, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Emergency room Made Oct 14, 2013, sent to the company Oct 25, 2013, published by CPSC Nov 18, 2013
The product, in the report: Buckyballs
The patient was mimicking a lip piercing with 2 Buckyball magnets given to her by a friend when she moved her lip to the side and they snapped together and she accidentally swallowed them. Drank water immediately afterward, tried to vomit them up but couldn’t. No abdominal pain or nausea. She recieved imaging which showed two buckyball-type magnets in her lower abdomen. She was discharged with a plan for repeat images the following day at her regular doctor’s office. She did not return to our hospital and we presume the magnets passed. The harm to this patient was multiple health care visits and imaging (2 series with 5 images we know of, plus likely more the next day at least).
- Where
- Washington: Unspecified
- Who was involved
- Age 9, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received
-
Hospital admission Made Sep 10, 2013, sent to the company Sep 17, 2013, published by CPSC Oct 24, 2013
The product, in the report: earth magnets, buckyball brand
9 year old girl was playing with an antique/toy lamp that used buckyball magnets as the string to pull the light on, took some of the magnets and placed in her mouth, accidentally swallowed about 5-7 of them. Patient underwent multiple exposures to radiation via XRays, anesthesia, and an endoscopy in an attempt to retrieve them. Magnets were in small intestine by the time endoscopy was performed, required more XRays to follow magnets around the bowel. Fortunate for the child, they passed without incident.
- Where
- Unspecified: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 9, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Hospital admission Made May 29, 2013, sent to the company Jun 6, 2013, published by CPSC Jun 27, 2013
The product, in the report: Magnetic Buckyballs
Ingestion of 4 bucky ball magnets. Patient presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain and distension, decreased oral intake and vomiting. The magnets were removed from the colon endoscopically.
- Where
- Unspecified: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 4, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Hospital admission Made Apr 12, 2013, sent to the company Apr 22, 2013, published by CPSC May 6, 2013
The product, in the report: Little Magnetic Balls that come in a square box.
In January 2013 my 9 year old son swallowed 2 Bucky Balls. He has no knowledge of swallowing them and it was days before we knew he did. He has a terrible habit of chewing on things ie: his nails, pen tops, [REDACTED], etc. Evidently he was chewing on these either together or at two separate times and swallowed them. Days later we were in the Emergency room because of cramping and vomiting in the abdomen. He had one in his small intestine and one in the large intestine that connected together. They started by putting him under on a Sunday morning to do a colonoscopy that was unsuccessful. They then decided surgery the next day would be the best option. Then they came back and said it was too dangerous to wait and that the surgeon would be coming in that same evening to operate. They performed what ended up to be a 5 hour surgery on Sunday Evening at 7:10PM. They removed is entire right quadrant of intestines and appendix.This was an extremely traumatic experience with no recourse. The recall on the product does not include the Hallmark in Crystal Lake IL where I bought the product.
- Bought from
- Hallmark
- Bought
- Jul 21, 2012
- Where
- Crystal Lake, Illinois: Other
- Who was involved
- Age 9, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Bucky Balls, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Hospital admission Made Jan 15, 2013, sent to the company Jul 3, 2013, published by CPSC Jul 18, 2013
The product, in the report: 62 rare earth magnets
The doctor stated that her 2 years old patient swallow 62 rare earth magnets and suffered intestinal perforation. The doctor stated it’s believed that the incident happened while the child was playing with the magnets without supervision.
The doctor stated that the 62 magnets were removed from his intestines and stomach. The child was currently admitted at the intensive care unit and will be in the hospital for approximately 5-7 days. The doctor stated that soon after his release from the hospital the child would have to follow up with the pediatric surgeon as well as with his regular pediatrician.
- Model
- 216
- UPC
- Unknown
- Serial number
- Unknown
- Bought from
- Unknown
- Where
- San Diego, California: Other Public Property/
Office - Who was involved
- Age 2, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Client, Patient, Student, Etc. (professional relationship)
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Hospital admission Made Dec 14, 2012, sent to the company Feb 27, 2013, published by CPSC Mar 21, 2013
The product, in the report: 5 mm Buckyballs
Caller states that he is a physician and attended twelve year old boy who put thirty 5mm magnetic balls into his urethra and into his bladder.
Physicians attempted to remove the Bucky balls using a cystoscope for greater than one hour but this was unsuccessful with only three being removed and a one and a half hour surgery was performed by cutting into his stomach to his bladder for removal of the remaining twenty seven balls.
Child was in Yale New Haven Hospital overnight then returned home.
Caller wanted to report this action so that CPSC would have knowledge of other ways that magnetic balls can be dangerous for young people.
- Model
- unknown
- Serial number
- unknown
- Where
- New Haven, Connecticut: Other
- Who was involved
- Age 12, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- No Relationship
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Hospital admission Made Nov 5, 2012, sent to the company Nov 26, 2012, published by CPSC Dec 17, 2012
The product, in the report: magnetic balls
My son, [REDACTED], was just shy of two years old during the time of this incident. He had been vomiting for a few days, when I noticed some blood in his vomit. I immediately took him to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ on December 11, 2011. He was lifeless, and initially doctors were talking about the possibility of polio. Once he was given an IV, he regained some energy. At this point, they sent him for an x-ray on his abdomen.
The x-ray had shown a ring formation of sorts. At first, several of us thought he swallowed a piece of jewelry. Thankfully, the doctors admitted him to the hospital. We thought that this was something that would just pass in the bowels. However, the next day’s x-ray showed no movement of the ‘ring’. Moreover, the image of this x-ray clearly showed the Buckyballs, and I was able to identify them and tell the doctors these were strong little magnetic balls.
Doctors operated on [REDACTED] on December 13, 2011. There were a total of 9 magnets that he had swallowed. There were some in his stomach, and magnets in two different areas in the small intestines. The small intestines had looped closed, attached the the base of the stomach. The stomach lining had eroded, as well as the intestinal walls in the areas where the magnets were attaching together. Doctors stapled his stomach, and stitched the two areas of the intestines. Needless to say, this was a painful experience for the entire family.
Since then, [REDACTED] has required hernia repair surgery related to this incident. I pray that no other child or family has to suffer in this way. I applaud the CPSC into attempting to stop the sale of these magnetic balls.
Please feel free to contact me for further information.
- Bought from
- given as gift
- Bought
- Nov 1, 2011, about then
- Where
- Piscataway, New Jersey: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 1, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Emergency room Made Oct 5, 2012, sent to the company Oct 16, 2012, published by CPSC Nov 6, 2012
The product, in the report: - magnetic balls that are color coated and sold as toys.
13 year old female presented to the emergency room yesterday evening following a foreign body ingestion. She had been playing with 2 [magnet sets] given to her by a friend and displayed the circular magnets on her lower lip as a piercing. She attempted to remove the circular magnets off her lower lip and accidentally ingested them. She had some difficulty swallowing following the incident and was unable to expel contents by vomiting. She did not realize the [magnet sets] were magnetic and potentially dangerous when ingested until she heard from a friend’s mother the need for urgent surgery after ingestion by her daughter. She was evaluated with abdominal xrays in the emergency room yesterday night. Her abdominal xrays showed the two circular magnets stuck together and located in her jejunum. She was discharged home with any interventions overnight given location the circular magnets and the fact that she was asymptomatic.She had a repeat xray and an evaluation by Pediatric GI office this morning. Her repeat xray showed the two circular magnets still stuck together and located in her distal small bowel . Well appearing and asymptomatic this morning, no need for endoscopic or surgical intervention at this point. She will hopefully pass the balls out in her stool over the weekend otherwise she will need repeat xays on monday.
- Where
- Cleveland, Ohio: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 13, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Bucky Balls, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received
-
Emergency room Made Oct 1, 2012, sent to the company Oct 9, 2012, published by CPSC Nov 6, 2012
The product, in the report: BuckyBall Magnets
I had to perform emergency endoscopy on a 2 yr old who swallowed 7 BuckyBalls last night.
- Model
- BuckyBall Magnets
- Where
- Seattle, Washington: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 2, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand BuckyBalls, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received
-
Emergency room Made Aug 27, 2012, sent to the company Sep 4, 2012, published by CPSC Oct 2, 2012
The product, in the report: Buckeyball magnets
13 year-old male accidently swallowed 2 buckeyball magnets that had been given to him by a friend. Patient presented to outside emergency room where abdominal x-ray confirmed presence of magnets in the stomach. Transferred to Seattle Childrens emergency room, repeat imaging before endoscopy re-confirmed presence of magnets in the stomach. Patient underwent upper endoscopy by GI Fellow and Attending with successful removal of buckeyballs from the stomach.
- Where
- Seattle Area, Washington: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 13, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckeyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received
-
Hospital admission Made Aug 4, 2012, sent to the company Aug 17, 2012, published by CPSC Sep 10, 2012
The product, in the report: Buckyballs Magnets, adult toys.
Buckyball magnets were accidentally left where our 18 month old could reach him. He got ahold of them, I found him with them but never saw him swallow them. He was taken for xrays, which confirmed he had ingested 18 Buckyball magnets which were still in his stomach. He required an urgent upper endoscopy procedure, during which they had a difficult time removing them because the magnets are so strong. They were almost ready to perform open abdominal surgery to remove them, but tried using a rigid scope and were successful. The procedure lasted about 2 hours. My husband never noticed the warning label on the package for the Buckyballs and I never saw the package at all. Thus, we were not aware of the life threatening danger of these magnets if swallowed. I feel that if we noticed the warning and were aware of the danger we may have not even kept a product like this in our home.
- Bought from
- As Seen on TV store
- Where
- Maryland: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 1, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Emergency room Made Apr 13, 2012, sent to the company Apr 20, 2012, published by CPSC May 11, 2012
The product, in the report: Tiny, magnetic silver balls, about the size of a bb gun pellet. Look extremely similar to a tongue piercing, prompting young kids to place them in their mouths to imitate the look of a piercing.
My 11 year old daughter was playing with a group of friends at a neighbors house. They had Bucky Balls, purchased at Brookstone, and tried to copy something they saw on the internet, where they placed one of the tiny, magnetic balls on their tongue and another, below. They were pretending to have pierced tongues. Magnetic ball accidentally went down my daughter’s throat and it was then that we realized that if more than one was ingested, it could cause serious medical issues and/or death. We immediately went to West Boca Emergency Room and had her xrayed to ensure she had just swallowed one.
I am appalled that companies continue to sell this useless “toy” after reading about so many similar incidents online. I had never heard about it before but am now sharing our experience on Facebook.
- Bought from
- unknown
- Bought
- Apr 1, 2012, about then
- Where
- Boca Raton, Florida: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 11, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Bucky Balls, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received
-
Hospital admission Made Jan 8, 2012, sent to the company Jan 17, 2012, published by CPSC Feb 7, 2012
The product, in the report: buckyballs sidekick magnetic puzzles
granddaughter 12 years old in school tried to separate 2 buckyballs with her teeth....bad idea....snapped back together and went right down throat...kids use them to pretend they have chin and lip piercings
- Bought from
- don’t know
- Where
- north weymouth, Massachusetts: School
- Who was involved
- Age 12, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Other Relative
- As this report names them
- Brand buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Hospital admission Made Jan 4, 2012, sent to the company Jan 12, 2012, published by CPSC Feb 3, 2012
The product, in the report: Buckyballs - Building Sets They are small powerful magnetic balls
My daughter is 12 ys old. She got 2 buckyballs from her friend at school. She was playing with them and wanted to see if they would stick to her braces. She accidentally swallowed them. We went to the hospital and they kept her there doing x-rays all night. Luckily they were together when she swallowed them. Many kids are buying them to make them look like earrings if they don’t have piercings and my daughter said she also tried to see if they would look like a pierced tong. These are very dangerous and should be taken off the market.
- Where
- Merrick, New York: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 12, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Hospital admission Made Dec 10, 2011, sent to the company Dec 19, 2011, published by CPSC Jan 11, 2012
The product, in the report: Buckyballs 216 Powerful Rare Earth Magnets
My son, 11 months ago, inserted the magnets into his body. He was too embarrased to tell me, until now. I brought him to emergency, he has to go through surgery to get them removed, because they have calcified. They are stuck in his bladder. The doctor’s are not sure what the outcome will be. He was 14 when he received the magnets as a x-mas gift last year.
Perhaps these magnets should be rated for 18+.
My son may have permanent bladder problems now from this “toy”.
- Bought from
- As Seen on TV Store
- Bought
- Dec 19, 2010
- Where
- Sault Ste. Marie, Canada: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 14, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Seen by a doctor or nurse Made Nov 19, 2011, sent to the company Nov 29, 2011, published by CPSC Dec 13, 2011
The product, in the report: Magnetic metal balls.
My 2 year old daughter found “Bucky Balls” laying around on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011. These balls were given as a gift of to my husband December, 2010. She swallowed 13 magnetic balls. We only knew she ate them because she told us and we found the remaining on the floor next to her. She complained of a stomach ache and began throwing up. We rushed her to the nearest hospital after reading the warning on the box they came in. She vomitted a total of 12 times throughout the entire night. We were transferred to 3 total hospitals because none of the hospitals had the right equipment to get the balls out. We ended at Kapi’olani Children’s Hospital in Honolulu, HI. We had to stay there overnight while we waited for the Dr. to use endoscopy to fish the balls out of her stomach. One was caught in her esophogus, 12 were in her stomach. They stayed in her stomach for a total of 6 hours before she got treatment. She had 2 Xrays 3 hours apart and the balls luckily stayed in her stomach without passing through to the intestines. The first 2 Dr.s said that the balls would probably pass through her system, but as her mother I asked for a 3rd opinion. We found out that a 4 year old child had to have surgery a few days before our case at Kapi’olani Hospital because he swallowed 13 balls as well, but his parents took him into the hospital a week later after he complained of severe abdominal pain. He had to be operated on because the balls did get stuck in his intestines and created holes that had to be sewn up by the Dr. These balls are currently being sold in Hawaii as well. The friend who gave them as a present currently works at a calendar store that sells them at this moment. I am informing everyone I know to get rid of the balls or not to buy them at all if they have small children under 14 years of age that visit or live in their homes.
- Model
- Bucky Balls
- UPC
- 094922923967
- Bought from
- Calendar Club, Hawaii
- Bought
- Nov 17, 2011, about then
- Where
- Kailua, Unspecified: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 2, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Bucky Balls, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Seen by Medical Professional
-
Hospital admission Made Nov 15, 2011, sent to the company Dec 9, 2011, published by CPSC Dec 23, 2011
The product, in the report: Tiny, round, powerful magnets
Accidental ingestion of 3 Buckyballs by my 10-year-old daughter, requiring emergency abdominal surgery. She was playing with 4 Buckyball magnets she obtained from a friend earlier that day at school (so there was no packaging or warning label available). As her hand neared her face, she felt something in her mouth and swallowed, then realized that 3 of the magnets were gone, and only the one magnet that was held between her fingers remained. We believe that the swallowed magnets were attracted to her braces. I immediately Googled Buckyballs and was surprised to learn that this was a very dangerous situation. She was seen promptly in a local ER, where the ingestion was confirmed by Xray, then transferred via ambulance to a pediatric surgical center for emergency intestinal surgery. She was released after a few days, and able to return to normal activity 2 weeks later. This was an extremely frightening and painful ordeal for her. She will have increased risk of intestinal problems for the rest of her life.
- Where
- Los Angeles, California: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 10, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Hospital admission Made Nov 10, 2011, sent to the company Nov 21, 2011, published by CPSC Dec 6, 2011
The product, in the report: Toy magnetic balls Here is the serial 77726439
My 13 year old daughter placed 5 magnetic “Bucky Balls” below her upper lip, just above the gum line. She then placed a few on the outside of her lip to mimic a piercing. Somehow they snapped apart and shot to the back of her throat. The impulse to swallow kicked in and she ingested them. They became stuck between her small & large intestine and were not able to be freed via a colonoscopy. Surgery was performed and a bowel resection was necessary along with 2 separate perforation repairs. She lost her ileocecal valve and appendix. She was hospitalized for 14 days.
- Serial number
- 77726439
- Bought from
- Stationary/
gift shop - Bought
- Jul 8, 2009
- Where
- Kenilworth, Illinois: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 13, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Bucky Balls, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- Reports CPSC links to it
- 20120423-CDEB2-2147468193
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Hospital admission Made Oct 5, 2011, sent to the company Oct 13, 2011, published by CPSC Oct 27, 2011
The product, in the report: They are claimed to be the world’s most powerful magnets. They are about the size of beebee rounds and very strong magnets.
This is for Buckyballs High Powered Magnets. I am only reporting this because I heard you wanted to hear of other reports. This time last year started getting sick really bad. We took her too the pediatrician multiple times to get random answers. Finally in December she got really sick and we took her to the emergency room where they X-ray her to make sure she did not have pneumonia where they spotted what looked like a bracelet in her stomach. When I looked at the X-Ray I knew what it was immediately, it was the Buckyballs. She was transferred to our local children hospital where they tried to scoop the balls out but could not. In the end she had to have extensive stomach surgery to remove them and repaid the damage to her stomach where the balls had rubbed holes into the lining of her stomach. I immediately found and threw away the rest of the balls because I did not want this to happen again. We did not know she swallowed them or how she even got them but it was a terrifying experience for us. This is not the companies fault as they should have been out of her reach but I just wanted to report it per the request.
- Bought from
- ThinkGeek.com
- Bought
- Nov 17, 2010, about then
- Where
- Hilliard, Florida: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 2, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Hospital Admission
-
Emergency room Made Jun 12, 2011, published by CPSC Jul 5, 2011
The product, in the report: Buckyballs are described as powerful rare earth magnetic balls. They are small powerful magnets that can be linked together.
My nine year old daughter accidentally swallowed a Buckyball, a small high powered magnet from a set that was purchased from a children’s toy store. We went to the emergency room, where an x-ray confirmed only one magnet had been swallowed and was not stuck in her diaphragm. We are hopeful that it passes in her stool without incident. We are aware that there is an extreme danger if two powerful magnets are swallowed as they can perforate the intestine, leading to injury or death.
Although the package indicates it should be kept away from small children, it does not indicate the extreme risks to older children as well. My daughter was putting away her toys, had a lot of things in both hands, so put the Buckyball in her mouth while she picked something else up, and accidentally swallowed it.
Our main concern is that this product is still being sold in the children’s toy/gift store where we purchased it. The Buckyballs were purchased at The House, located in Millburn, NJ between 12/2010 and 2/2011. I informed Buckyballs as well as The House of the incident and do not believe they have taken them off of their shelves yet.
- Bought from
- The House
- Bought
- Jan 5, 2011, about then
- Where
- Short Hills, New Jersey: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 9, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Buckyballs, made or sold by MAXFIELD & OBERTON HOLDINGS LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received
CPSC’s disclaimer
Disclaimer: CPSC does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database on SaferProducts.gov, particularly with respect to information submitted by people outside of CPSC.
Word for word, from the disclaimer in CPSC’s export.
Sources
Sources
-
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, SaferProducts.gov public database export.
Released Oct 25, 2026 and checked Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.
Reports of harm are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), on SaferProducts.gov. CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record.