Hasbro recalls Easy-Bake Ovens following partial finger amputation

Just five months after issuing a recall of its pink and purple plastic oven, toymaker Hasbro and the Consumer Product Safety Commission today asked owners of the ovens to stop using them immediately and return them to the company. The recall affects one million ovens purchased since May 2006.

  In February, Hasbro offered oven owners a retrofit kit intended to solve the problem of little chefs inserting their fingers into the oven cavity. Since then, however, Easy-Bake has received 249 reports of children getting their hands or fingers caught in the opening, including 77 reports of burns, 16 of which were reported as second and third-degree burns. Easy-Bake also received one report of a serious burn that required a partial finger amputation of a 5-year-old girl.

  The oven, which can reach temperatures of 350 and 400 degrees, is not recommended for children under 8 and even children that age should use it only with adult supervision. Still, some of the burns were reported in younger children.

  Julie Vallese, spokesperson for the CPSC, said when Hasbro learned of the partial amputation it decided to do more than provide the repair kit. "We're big fans of doing more," she added.

  Hasbro is asking that owners of the Easy-Bakes return them to the company in exchange for a voucher for another of its products. For more information, you can call the company at (800) 601-8418 or visit their Web site at www.easybake.com.

  Consumers who ask for instructions will be sent a box and a prepaid label to return the oven. Those who requested the repair kit earlier will automatically be sent a box with prepaid shipping.

To learn more:

• Read the announcement from the CPSC
• Get more information from Hasbro