W.A.T.C.H. REVEALS ITS 53rd ANNUAL 2025 NOMINEES
FOR THE “10 WORST TOYS” THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
Annual Report Warns Parents:
Toy Safety Risks Persist this Holiday Season and Year-Round
One Child is Treated in U.S. Emergency Rooms Every Three Minutes for a Toy-Related Injury
(Boston, Mass. – Nov. 18, 2025) Today, World Against Toys Causing Harm, Inc. (W.A.T.C.H.) released its 53rd annual nominees of the “10 Worst Toys” for 2025. This year’s list serves as a cautionary reminder of the potential hidden hazards posed by many toys marketed for children. Toy safety is a critical concern this holiday season and beyond, with recent recalls and injuries highlighting the range of risks that may be present on store shelves and online. W.A.T.C.H. calls on parents and caregivers to stay vigilant about toy safety, underscoring the need to keep potentially dangerous items out of the hands of children.
Consumer advocates Joan E. Siff, President of W.A.T.C.H., and James A. Swartz, Director of W.A.T.C.H., emphasized the necessity of guarding against potential hazards associated with certain toys currently on the market, including plush toys that pose suffocation risks, toys with small parts that present choking hazards, and projectile toys that could cause eye injuries.
W.A.T.C.H.’S 2025 Nominees for the “10 Worst Toys” List
W.A.T.C.H.’s Nominees for the “10 Worst Toys” List serves as a hands-on tool to raise awareness of potential hazards while shopping or inspecting toys already at home. The toys on the “10 Worst Toys” List are illustrative of some potential hazards in toys being sold to consumers and should not be considered the only potentially hazardous toys on the market:
- GOO SLINGERS: POTENTIAL FOR EYE INJURIES
- MARVEL AVENGERS HULK GAMMA SMASH FISTS: POTENTIAL FOR BLUNT FORCE AND IMPACT INJURIES
- SHAPE SORTER XYLOPHONE: POTENTIAL FOR INGESTION INJURIES
- NERF PRO GELFIRE IGNITOR BLASTER: POTENTIAL FOR EYE INJURIES
- GIGGLESCAPE SNACK PLAY SET: POTENTIAL FOR PUNCTURE AND INGESTION INJURIES
- SHEEPDOG PUPPET: POTENTIAL FOR INGESTION INJURIES
- SNACKLES: DISNEY MINNIE: POTENTIAL FOR SUFFOCATION INJURIES
- LITTLE CUTIES DOLL: POTENTIAL FOR CHOKING INJURIES
- ULTIMATE MAKEUP KIT: POTENTIAL FOR ALLERGIC REACTION INJURIES
- BLOX FRUITS EMBER DRAGON ULTIMATE BUNDLE: POTENTIAL FOR BLUNT FORCE AND PUNCTURE INJURIES
(See the complete list of W.A.T.C.H.’s 2025 Nominees for the “10 Worst Toys” attached)
An Urgent Message: Many Toy-Related Injuries Are Preventable
The 2025 “10 Worst Toys” nominees highlight potential hazards that families, caregivers, and educators should look out for to help safeguard children year-round. W.A.T.C.H. provided practical tips to help parents recognize common safety traps in toys, whether at home or encountered while shopping.
“Our goal is to help families make more informed choices about toys and keep children safe, because even the most careful parents may not realize the hidden dangers some toys can pose,” said Joan Siff. “Toy safety means stopping hazards before they ever reach a child’s hands.”
“As long as unsafe toys remain on the market, awareness is vital to preventing injuries and deaths,” stated James Swartz. “But true safety demands stronger oversight and accountability from every link in the chain, from design to store shelves, to ensure hazardous toys never make their way to children.”
During the 53rd annual toy safety press conference, W.A.T.C.H. discussed toys on the list, including Marvel Avengers Hulk Gamma Smash Fists, Snackles: Disney Minnie, and Nerf Pro Gelfire Ignitor Blaster, stressing that toys meant for fun can carry potential hidden dangers. Siff and Swartz emphasized that many toy-related injuries are preventable, urging the industry to prioritize child safety over marketability and adopt stronger safety measures to prevent hazards before toys reach the marketplace.
Toy-related Injuries & Deaths
Toys, meant to bring joy and inspire creativity in children, should not pose hidden dangers that cause safety concerns for parents. There is no excuse for repeat offenders when children’s health and safety are on the line. Unfortunately, year after year, and this year is no exception, defective toys continue to put children at risk of injury and death. One child is treated in a U.S. emergency room every three minutes for a toy-related injury.[i] Even with W.A.T.C.H.’s continued efforts, classic toy dangers, such as small parts, strings, projectiles, toxic substances, rigid materials, and inaccurate warnings and labels, reappear in new generations of toys, jeopardizing children’s safety. According to the latest data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there were an estimated 231,700 toy-related injuries in the United States in 2023, and 40 toy-related deaths involving children 14 years of age and younger between 2021 and 2023. No child should be injured or lose their life from a dangerous toy, yet these numbers make clear that preventable hazards continue to slip through the cracks.
Recalls: Reactive, Not Proactive
Consumers may expect that there are sufficient checks and balances in place to prevent dangerous toys from reaching store shelves or e-commerce sites, but unfortunately, this is not always the case. Even toys that pass existing safety standards can be dangerous. A reminder that not all toys are safe, recent recalls were issued for an array of defects that could lead to injuries such as intestinal obstruction, choking, strangulation, burns, and lead poisoning. The recurrence of many known hazards in toys in the past year is clearly suggestive of a broken system that must be fixed before more children are harmed. These recalls underscore serious design and manufacturing failures that can cause severe injury or death. Recalls are important safety measures, but they are reactive, not proactive. Many consumers never receive notice of toy recalls. Once these toys are on the market, they can reappear for resale online or in a child’s toy box. Moreover, not all unsafe toys are necessarily recalled; enforcement agencies, such as the CPSC, may face limited resources to police such a large industry, existing standards can be inadequate, and regulators often scramble to keep up with evolving technologies (exploding lithium batteries in hoverboards come to mind – a hazard previously addressed by W.A.T.C.H.). From 2024 through the first ten months of 2025, the CPSC announced dozens of toy recalls affecting more than 21 million products in the United States. This year’s recalls included LED gloves with improperly secured coin batteries, toy eggs with parts containing lead, and plush toys with eyes that could detach, demonstrating how preventable hazards continue to reach the marketplace.
Ongoing Concern: Hidden Choking Hazards
Many of this year’s recalls involved choking and ingestion risks from detachable small parts and high-powered magnets, hazards W.A.T.C.H. has repeatedly warned about over the years. Although choking remains a leading cause of toy-related injuries and deaths,[ii] toys with small parts are one of the many hazards that continue to unnecessarily put children at risk. In just the first ten months of 2025 alone, at least 20 toys have been recalled due to choking and ingestion hazards, representing more than 230,000 units in the U.S.[iii] Small parts that could detach during play or long pieces that could be mouthed and occlude a child’s airway are examples of less obvious hazards. On the 2025 Nominees for the “Worst Toys” list, both the Shape Sorter Xylophone and the Little Cuties Doll reflect these potential ingestion or choking hazards for young children.
Examples of Recent Recalls Issued After Children Died: The following recalls illustrate the devastating consequences of design and manufacturing failures that reached children’s hands.[iv]
| TOY/ CHILDREN’S RECREATIONAL PRODUCT | RECENT INJURIES AND DEATHS | HAZARD | RECALL | UNITS RECALLED in the U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backyard Kids KidKraft Farm-to-Table Play Kitchens | 23-month-old child asphyxiated after his shirt got caught on a hook | Strangulation (clothing can get caught on the plastic or metal hooks) | 7-31-2025 | 192,000 |
| Fisher-Price Snuga Swings | Reports of five deaths involving infants 1 to 3 months of age when the product was used for sleep (2012-2022) | Suffocation (if the product is used for sleep or bedding material is added, it increases the risk) | 10-20-2024 | 2.1 million |
| Calico Critters Animal Figures and Sets | 9-month-old (2015) and a 2-year-old (2018) died after choking on the pacifier accessory | Choking Hazard (the pacifier can detach) | 3-9-2023 | 3.2 million |
| Cocco Candy RollingCandy | 7-year-old girl choked and died after the candy’s rolling ball dislodged (4/2023) | Choking Hazard (the rolling ball can detach) | 10-5-2023 | 145,800 |
| Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kits | 10-month-old death from swallowing water beads (7/2023) | Ingestion, choking and intestinal obstruction | 9-14-2023 | 52,000 |
The above table illustrates the need for stronger safeguards to prevent children’s deaths from unsafe toys. These statistics and real-world examples serve as a tragic reminder of the consequences of ongoing safety failures in the marketplace. Over the years, W.A.T.C.H. has warned about toy hazards that can cause injuries such as suffocation, choking, or ingestion. Nonetheless, hazards persist. One example was W.A.T.C.H.’s 2020 “10 Worst Toys” Nominees, which included Calico Critters Nursery Friends with parts, such as a pacifier, that could pose potential choking hazards for young children. In 2023, a recall involving the Calico Critters Animal Figures and Sets, listed in the table above, noted that the bottle and pacifier accessories pose a choking hazard to children, with two children tragically losing their lives.
A Safer Holiday Season Through Awareness
For over five decades, the Nominees for the “10 Worst Toys” List have helped bring about changes in industry practices, but dangerous toys still reach the market. This holiday season, W.A.T.C.H. urges parents to stay cautious. “Think defensively about toy safety,” said Siff. “Whether buying in-store or online, inspect toys and packaging before giving them to a child.” W.A.T.C.H. reminds parents to stay alert for hidden hazards that can turn an innocent-looking toy into a serious hazard. Stuffed toys with fiber-like hair that could potentially block a child’s airway, or pillow-like toys that could potentially lead to suffocation in infants, are examples of less obvious hazards. “Without a foolproof safety net to prevent defective toys from reaching homes and schools, awareness of classic hazards and hidden dangers is essential,” said Swartz. Parents should not assume toys are safe simply because they come from a familiar retailer or brand. Consumers can help children enjoy a safer holiday season by knowing what traps to avoid when selecting toys. Awareness and vigilance can make all the difference this holiday season and beyond. (For more information, visit ToySafety.org)
(See the complete list of W.A.T.C.H.’s 2025 Nominees for the “10 Worst Toys” attached)
About W.A.T.C.H. World Against Toys Causing Harm, Inc. (W.A.T.C.H.) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to raising awareness about the hazards hidden in many toys and products intended for children. Through annual reports, advocacy, and educational initiatives, W.A.T.C.H. strives to make the world safer for children.
Noted trial attorneys, authors, and consumer advocates, Edward Swartz (1934-2010), James Swartz, Joan Siff, and W.A.T.C.H. have been responsible for the “10 WORST TOYS” nominees, released for the past 53 years, as well as a Summer Safety Report addressing summer hazards for children. For more information on the 2025 Nominees for the “10 Worst Toys” and toy safety tips, visit www.toysafety.org or follow W.A.T.C.H. on Twitter and Facebook @WATCHsafety.
Joan E. Siff, President of W.A.T.C.H. and Board Member, Franciscan Children’s.
James A. Swartz, Director of W.A.T.C.H., noted trial attorney, author, and consumer advocate.
Copyright © World Against Toys Causing Harm, Inc. All rights reserved.
[i] www.nationwidechildrens.org
[ii] https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/Toy_Report_2023_Final_wCoverPage.pdf?VersionId=tE78YfLKOillD_a8994wilnMrKP9UGAz (published November 2024)
[iii] Based on toy recall data published on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) website, 01/2025-10/2025.
[iv] https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls