Annual Report Finds Dangerous and Recalled Toys Remain Easy to Buy in Illinois

With holiday shopping fully underway, an annual report from the Illinois Public Interest Research Group Education Fund found that recalled toys remain easy to purchase in the state, even though their sale is illegal.

The 37th annual "Trouble in Toyland" report included an investigation in which the Illinois PIRG Education Fund attempted to purchase recently recalled toys from online retail outlets and marketplaces.

In October, members from the fund attempted to purchase 16 recently recalled toys and were able to purchase half of them, with the report authors buying multiple units of a toy in some instances. Additionally, three other toys that were recalled in recent years were purchased.

Overall, 30 items of 11 different recalled toys were purchased by the Illinois PIRG Education Fund as part of the report, and were purchased from eBay, Facebook Marketplace and several online toy shops.

Among the recalled toys were stuffed animals, action figures, activity balls for infants, musical toys, bath toys and a toddler riding toy. The vast majority of the toys were new in the box or new with tags.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 200,000 people go to the emergency room each year with a toy-related injury or illness, with 75 percent of those hospitalized aged 14 years and younger.

The full 2022 Trouble in Toyland report can be found here.

Additionally, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul released the 2022 Safe Shopping Guide as holiday shopping picks up, with recalled products listed in the guide.

Included as some of the recalled items in this year's guide are toys, music sets, rattles, pacifiers and touch books.

Raoul also urges Illinoisans to be aware of bunk beds that may pose entrapment and strangulation risks, while also warning of items such as ATVs and helmets that may not meet safety requirements, often marketed for older children.

The full 2022 Safe Shopping Guide can be found here.