Water Wiggle Toys (Wham-O) – Safety Concern (1978)
Check Your Product
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Product
Water Wiggle toys
Brand
Wham-O
Lot Codes / Batch Numbers
Not specified in CPSC notice. Check official source for details.
Wham-O is recalling Water Wiggle toys. The hazard is: Drowning. Based on CPSC recall notice.
Summary derived from CPSC notice
The following details were not provided by CPSC: remedy information, UPC codes.
Reason for Recall
As stated by CPSC
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.
Reported concern (CPSC)
Drowning
Recommended Action
Per CPSC guidance
The CPSC advises consumers to stop using the product. Contact the manufacturer or return the product to the place of purchase.
Verify this information on the official source
This page aggregates publicly available data. Always confirm recall details directly with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) before taking action.
View official CPSC recall noticePage updated: Jan 6, 2026
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