Case fileReal
CPSC & McDonald's — Hello Kitty whistle recall
Internal whistle parts could detach and be inhaled. McDonald’s ran the recall as distributor of the Hello Kitty toy.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,
Plaintiff,
v.
McDonald's (distributor); Hello Kitty licensed product,
Defendant.
Docket No.CPSC recall (10 Nov 2014)
CourtU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (with Health Canada)
Filed2014
StatusClosed
The record
- Court
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (with Health Canada)
- Jurisdiction
- United States / Canada
- Docket No.
- CPSC recall (10 Nov 2014)
- Filed
- 2014
- Resolved
- 2014
- Sanrio’s role
- Subject
- Type
- Product recall
- Claims
- Choking / aspiration hazard (whistle components)
- Counsel — plaintiff/petitioner
- not public
- Counsel — Sanrio side
- not public
What happened
Internal whistle parts could detach and be inhaled. McDonald’s ran the recall as distributor of the Hello Kitty toy.
Outcome
About 2.3 million US units (plus ~200,000 in Canada) of a Hello Kitty 40th-anniversary Happy Meal whistle recalled. Two incidents reported; free replacement offered.
The legal nuance
Shows licensing reach: a Sanrio character on a fast-food toy pulls in CPSC oversight via the distributor.
Sources of record