MOORABBIN, Australia — As Christmas shoppers line up the items they’re already planning to return, many parents are also frantically searching to find which of their children’s new toys may be on a safety recall list! A new study has found that post-Christmas Google searches for “toy recalls 2022” has already skyrocketed by 325 percent!
Researchers for Australian gift company Yellow Octopus examined Google Trends data to find the 20 most searched-for toys that have been recalled in recent years. Overall, their research found that toy recalls in 2022 have tripled in comparison to 2021. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 30 toys in 2022, compared to just nine in 2021 and two in 2020.
In fact, more toys were recalled by the agency in 2022 than in the previous four years combined!
Which recalled toys have parents concerned?
As for which toy is putting the most fear into parents’ hearts in 2022, the Jungle Jumparoo is the number one most searched recalled toy of the year. The toy, recalled on June 9th, 2022, was the subject of 18,340 safety searches online.
“The toys’ yellow poles contain levels of lead that exceed the federal lead content ban. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health issues,” according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website warning. More people searched for details on this recalled toy than the rest of the top five combined.
Rounding out that top five list includes B. toys Walk ‘n’ Learn Wooden Activity Toddler Walkers (recalled on March 16, 2022), The Manhattan Toy Company Activity Loops Toys for Infants (recalled June 9, 2022), KOYO Bounca The Squig Limited Edition Plush toys (recalled Feb. 2, 2022), and Children’s Rainbow Stacking Toys (recalled Nov. 17, 2022).
The Children’s Rainbow Stacking Toys (2,030 searches) were manufactured by Professor Puzzle and are the most recent item to face a recall over safety concerns.
The second-place finisher, B. toys Walk ‘n’ Learn Wooden Activity Toddler Walkers (5,770 searches), was recalled due to a common problem with children’s toys — the wheels and wheel attachments could potentially break apart, posing a choking hazard.
Along with the 18 most searched-for recalled toys of the last 12 months, the Yellow Octopus team found two other recalled items that made their list. First, the Monti Kids Toy Box with Bins was recalled on July 21st, 2022.
“A small dowel can become exposed and detach from the toy box, posing a choking hazard to young children,” CPSC officials warn.
Next, the Monti Kids Wooden Push Toys was recalled on April 21st, 2022.
“The toy’s rolling cylinder can separate, exposing the balls inside, posing a choking hazard to children,” the agency explains.
Both of these recalled items did not have search data available to rank them with the rest of the list.
