RecallRadar

CPSC recall 78020

Water Wiggle toys

On 2014-12-17 the CPSC announced a recall of Water Wiggle toys by Wham O, citing drowning.

Read the official CPSC notice

AgencyCPSC
Recall number78020
ClassificationNot classified
Statusunknown
Initiated1978-04-13
Published2014-12-17
Last updated2026-09-13 11:58 UTC
CompanyWham O
DistributionUS

Product

Water Wiggle toys | Water Wiggle Toy Recalled by Wham-O NEWS from CPSC U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 13, 1978 Release # 78-020 Recall Of Wham-O Water Wiggle Toy WASHINGTON, D.C. (Apr. 13) -- Wham-O Manufacturing Co., San Gabriel, Calif., in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, today announced it is voluntarily stopping sale and recalling its "Water Wiggle" toy. Approximately 2 1/2 million of these toys have been sold throughout the United States over the past 17 years. The toy consists of a seven-foot plastic hose attached to an aluminum water-jet nozzle which is covered by a bell-shaped plastic head. The toy is designed to be attached to a garden hose for water fun. It retails for approximately $3.50. Wham-O stated that the recall is occasioned by the death of a four-year-old child in March 1978. The youngster was playing with some other children in his backyard with a dismantled "Water Wiggle," one from which the bell-shaped head had been removed or had come off. The exposed aluminum nozzle became lodged in his mouth and he drowned. Wham-O stated that it had no knowledge of how or why the toy was dismantled or how the nozzle became lodged in the child's mouth. A "Water Wiggle" was involved in a similar death of a three-year-old boy in 1975. Parents are advised not to allow their children to play with this product. Wham-O requests its retailers to remove all "Water Wiggles" from their shelves. Consumers who own a "Water Wiggle" toy should return the product to the retail store where purchased for a full refund or credit toward another product. Consumers requiring information concerning this recall should contact the Customer Service Department, Wham-O Manufacturing Company, 835 East El Monte Street, San Gabriel, California 91778 (toll free numbers 800/423-4592 and 800/423-4593) or call the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission toll-free hotline 800/638-2772.

Reason

Drowning

Status history

No status changes recorded since RecallRadar first saw this recall on 2026-09-13 11:58 UTC. Current status: unknown.

Source

Official record: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/1978/Recall-Of-Wham-O-Water-Wiggle-Toy

RecallRadar indexes public recall notices from the FDA, USDA FSIS, and CPSC. The official agency notice is the authoritative source. Always confirm details at the linked source before acting.