CPSC, Sassy Announce Voluntary Recall to Remove Squirting Fish from Bath Toys

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #01062) was formally reported on December 28, 2000. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Sassy Inc., of Kentwood, Mich. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 370,000 units are affected, a scale large enough to require multi-state distribution tracking.

The documented reason for this recall is: The fish's size, texture, shape and easy compressibility make it possible for an infant to compress the toy and place it in his or her mouth. If the toy reaches the back of the mouth and expands, it may block the child'… Distribution information was not included in the agency filing, so consumers should assume broad potential exposure until the firm publishes point-of-sale details. The remedy documented by the agency is: Consumers should immediately take these squirting fish away from young children and throw them away. — consumers holding this product should act on that instruction rather than relying on general guidance.

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. 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.