CPSC, Payless ShoeSource Announce Recall of Children’s Athletic Shoes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the manufacturers named below, today announced voluntary recalls of the following consumer products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. (To access color photos of the following recalled products, see CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov.)

Name of product: Smart Fit™ and Teeny Toes™ Athletic Shoes. Units: About 441,000.

Hazard: The metal eyelet lace holder at the top of the shoes can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.

Incidents/Injuries: Payless ShoeSource has received one report of a child starting to choke on a detached eyelet from one of these shoes. No injuries have been reported.

Description: These are children’s athletic shoes in prewalk and toddler sizes. The shoes are white with different color trim and come in sizes 0 to 10. The brand name “Smart Fit” or “Teeny Toes” is written on the sole and insole of the shoes. The recalled shoes have one of the following five-digit numbers, found on a label on the bottom of the shoe tongue: 31056, 31057, 31219, 32264, 32265, 33060 and 33061. No other styles or models are included in this recall.

Sold at: Payless ShoeSource stores and Web site nationwide from December 2003 through April 2004 for about $10.

Remedy: Consumers should take the recalled shoes away from young children immediately and should return the shoes to a Payless ShoeSource store for a cash refund or exchange.

Consumer Contact: For more information, call Payless toll-free at (800) 654-0697 between 7:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT Monday through Saturday, and between 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, or visit their Web site at www.payless.com.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals – contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270 or visit CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov.