Severity
Moderate
In Wake of Second Death, CPSC and Burger King Again Urge Consumers to Destroy and Discard Pokemon Balls
Reported: January 27, 2000 Initiated: January 27, 2000 #00058
Burger King issued this CPSC recall on January 27, 2000. Classified as Moderate severity. The recall was issued because: Suffocation. This recall notice is sourced from official CPSC enforcement records. Below you will find the complete product description, hazard information, remedy instructions, and related recalls from the same manufacturer or product category.
Recall Insight
This CPSC action (record #00058) was formally reported on January 27, 2000. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Burger King is listed as the recalling firm. The number of affected units is not disclosed in the agency filing, which is common for drug and food recalls where lot-level tracking supersedes unit counts.
The documented reason for this recall is: Suffocation Distribution information was not included in the agency filing, so consumers should assume broad potential exposure until the firm publishes point-of-sale details.
To put this record in context, PlainRecalls indexes 83,949 recalls across the FDA, CPSC, NHTSA and USDA FSIS going back to 1995. Within the same product category, the database holds 6 closely related recalls, of which 1 were also issued by CPSC. That clustering is a signal — repeated actions in a narrow category often indicate a systemic quality-control issue, a supplier-wide contamination, or a design defect that has propagated across product lines. This recall is roughly 26 years old; older recalls can remain relevant because many units enter resale, rental, and secondary-market channels where the original warning never reaches the end user. Always cross-check the recall number against the official agency page before relying on any summary.
Recall Distribution by Severity Class
Units Affected
Unknown
Related Recalls
6
1 from same agency
Product Description
January 27, 2000Release # 00-058 Company Phone Number: (305) 378-3535 CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: Ken Giles, (301) 504-7052 Burger King Contact: Kim Miller or Charles Nicolas, (305) 378-7277 In Wake of Second Death, CPSC and Burger King Again Urge Consumers to Destroy and Discard Pokemon Balls WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Burger King Corp. are again urging consumers to immediately destroy and discard Pokemon balls distributed with Burger King kids meals in November and December 1999. On January 25, 2000, a 4-month-old boy in Indianapolis, Ind., reportedly suffocated when one-half of a Pokemon ball that was in his crib became stuck on his face. Burger King Corp., in cooperation with CPSC, issued a voluntary recall of more than 25 million Pokemon balls on December 27, 1999. The balls pose a suffocation hazard to children under three years of age. In December, a 13-month old girl reportedly suffocated when one-half of a Pokemon ball covered her nose and mouth. Also in December, an 18-month old girl nearly suffocated when a ball-half got stuck over her face. On the second attempt, the girl's father was able to pull the ball-half from her face.Pokemon balls are plastic, ball-shaped containers between 2.75 and 3 inches in diameter. They pull apart to reveal one of 57 different Pokemon toys inside. The balls were distributed in a variety of colors including red and white, and hot pink. Packaging described them as safety tested and recommended for all ages of children.Burger King restaurants nationwide distributed the Pokemon balls inside Burger King big kids meals and regular kids meals from early November through December 1999.Consumers should immediately take the balls away from children under the age of three. They should discard the ball or return both halves of the ball and the clip to a Burger King restaurant for a free order of small fries. Children can continue to use the Pokemon toy that came inside the ball. As part of the voluntary recall effort, more than 8,100 Burger King restaurants posted recall notices in both English and Spanish. When the recall was first announced, Burger King placed an ad in USA Today, and CPSC broadcast a video news release so local television stations could use video tape showing the danger. CPSC Chairman Ann Brown also announced the recall on the Today Show reaching millions of viewers.In addition, Burger King worked with the CPSC to send recall notices to 56,000 pediatricians' offices, 10,000 emergency room directors and 25,000 emergency health care clinics across the country. Notices were posted on the CPSC and Burger King web sites, and on web sites frequented by Pokemon fans and parents. Recall notices will be posted on tray liners, carry-out bags and french fry bags as well.Burger King also will purchase national cable and network television advertisements to alert consumers to the recall. Burger King's Consumer Relations phone number is 305-378-3535, which operates Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. east coast time. Consumers can also view a video clip about this recall (Transcript). It is about 6 megabytes long and the download time depends upon the speed of your Internet connection
Reason for Recall
Suffocation
Details
- Recalling Firm
- Burger King
Recall Profile
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Agency | U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission |
| Severity class | Moderate |
| Status | Active |
| Recall number | 00058 |
| Date reported | January 27, 2000 |
| Date initiated | January 27, 2000 |
| Recalling firm | Burger King |
| Units affected | Not disclosed |
| Distribution | Not disclosed |
Profile values are sourced directly from the official CPSC enforcement record. Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Frequently Asked Questions
What product was recalled? ▼
January 27, 2000Release # 00-058 Company Phone Number: (305) 378-3535 CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: Ken Giles, (301) 504-7052 Burger King Contact: Kim Miller or Charles Nicolas, (305) 378-7277 In Wake of Second Death, CPSC and Burger King Again Urge Consumers to Destroy and Discard Pokemon Balls WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Burger King Corp. are again urging consumers to immediately destroy and discard Pokemon balls distributed with Burger King kids meals in November and December 1999. On January 25, 2000, a 4-month-old boy in Indianapolis, Ind., reportedly suffocated when one-half of a Pokemon ball that was in his crib became stuck on his face. Burger King Corp., in cooperation with CPSC, issued a voluntary recall of more than 25 million Pokemon balls on December 27, 1999. The balls pose a suffocation hazard to children under three years of age. In December, a 13-month old girl reportedly suffocated when one-half of a Pokemon ball covered her nose and mouth. Also in December, an 18-month old girl nearly suffocated when a ball-half got stuck over her face. On the second attempt, the girl's father was able to pull the ball-half from her face.Pokemon balls are plastic, ball-shaped containers between 2.75 and 3 inches in diameter. They pull apart to reveal one of 57 different Pokemon toys inside. The balls were distributed in a variety of colors including red and white, and hot pink. Packaging described them as safety tested and recommended for all ages of children.Burger King restaurants nationwide distributed the Pokemon balls inside Burger King big kids meals and regular kids meals from early November through December 1999.Consumers should immediately take the balls away from children under the age of three. They should discard the ball or return both halves of the ball and the clip to a Burger King restaurant for a free order of small fries. Children can continue to use the Pokemon toy that came inside the ball. As part of the voluntary recall effort, more than 8,100 Burger King restaurants posted recall notices in both English and Spanish. When the recall was first announced, Burger King placed an ad in USA Today, and CPSC broadcast a video news release so local television stations could use video tape showing the danger. CPSC Chairman Ann Brown also announced the recall on the Today Show reaching millions of viewers.In addition, Burger King worked with the CPSC to send recall notices to 56,000 pediatricians' offices, 10,000 emergency room directors and 25,000 emergency health care clinics across the country. Notices were posted on the CPSC and Burger King web sites, and on web sites frequented by Pokemon fans and parents. Recall notices will be posted on tray liners, carry-out bags and french fry bags as well.Burger King also will purchase national cable and network television advertisements to alert consumers to the recall. Burger King's Consumer Relations phone number is 305-378-3535, which operates Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. east coast time. Consumers can also view a video clip about this recall (Transcript). It is about 6 megabytes long and the download time depends upon the speed of your Internet connection. Recalled by Burger King.
Why was this product recalled? ▼
Suffocation
Which agency issued this recall? ▼
This recall was issued by the CPSC on January 27, 2000. Severity: Moderate. Recall number: 00058.
How do I check if my product is affected by a recall? ▼
Check the product description and recall number (00058) against your product. Visit the official CPSC website for the most current information. You can also use our Recall Checker tool to search by product name or brand.
How do I report an injury from a recalled product? ▼
Report injuries to the issuing agency: CPSC at SaferProducts.gov, NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem, or FDA via MedWatch. Document the product (photos, model/serial numbers, purchase receipts) and seek medical attention. Injury reports help agencies track hazard patterns and may strengthen enforcement actions.
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Product recalls are issued when a manufacturer, distributor, or federal agency determines that a product poses a safety risk to consumers. This recall is classified as moderate severity, indicating the product may cause temporary or medically reversible health consequences. Across PlainRecalls, we track 83,000+ recalls from FDA, CPSC, and NHTSA to help consumers stay informed and act quickly when safety issues arise.
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Data Sources
Data as of 2025. Source: FDA, CPSC, NHTSA, USDA FSIS federal recall databases.
- Source: FDA — Food and Drug Administration, openFDA Enforcement API (food, drug, and medical device recalls)
- Source: CPSC — Consumer Product Safety Commission Recalls API (consumer product recalls and hazards)
- Source: NHTSA — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Recalls API (vehicle safety recalls)
- Source: USDA FSIS — Food Safety and Inspection Service (meat, poultry, and egg product recalls)
Recall information is sourced from official federal agency databases. Always verify recall details with the issuing agency for the most current status. This information is for research and awareness purposes only.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS — demographic + housing + income data. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — wage + employment by occupation. bls.gov/oes
- BEA Regional Economic Accounts — GDP + personal income by state/metro. bea.gov/data/regional
- U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns — establishment + employment by industry. census.gov/cbp
- IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) — tax-return aggregate data. irs.gov/statistics
- data.gov — U.S. federal open-data portal — discovery layer for additional federal sources. data.gov
Source: Federal recall agencies (FDA, CPSC, NHTSA, USDA FSIS) Aggregated multi-agency recall feeds · 2024 Recall data normalized across federal agency feeds; severity classifications follow each agency's own taxonomy (FDA Class I/II/III; CPSC, NHTSA, USDA FSIS).