Hooded Sweaters Recalled by Empress Arts; Children Can Strangle on Drawstrings

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #08383) was formally reported on September 2, 2008. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Empress Arts Ltd., of Monterey Park, Calif. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 130 units are affected.

The documented reason for this recall is: The sweaters have drawstrings through the hood. Children can get entangled in the drawstrings, which can catch on playground equipment, fences or tree branches. 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 remove the drawstrings from the sweaters to eliminate the hazard. — 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, of which 6 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 18 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.