Toi-Toys stretchy squeeze soldier may contain asbestos: check the last three barcode digits, refund without a receipt

A soft rubber soldier that stretches long when you pull it and slowly shrinks back when you let go is the sort of small, inexpensive thing that sits on a toy shelf. On 10 September the Dutch food and consumer product safety authority, the NVWA, put Toi-Toys' FUN Kneedsoldaat rekbaar-vormbaar on its safety warnings: the maker found in testing that the filling may contain asbestos, and if the toy is damaged or torn the filling can come out and be inhaled. The instruction is clear: stop using it, keep it out of children's reach and take it back to the nearest shop with the barcode, where the full purchase price is refunded even without a receipt. It is also not the first time this year Toi-Toys has recalled a stretchy filled figure for the same reason, so this piece gives a quicker check than reading the packaging.

• The recalled item is the FUN Kneedsoldaat rekbaar-vormbaar, item number 35162Z, barcode 8714627012248; the product name on the maker's recall poster reads 6ass, six assorted designs. (source 1, source 2)
• What to do: stop using it and keep it away from children; return it with the barcode to the nearest shop for a full refund, no proof of purchase needed; questions go to Toi-Toys on 040 254 36 10. (source 2)
• Timeline: the maker's recall poster is dated 26 August, Productwaarschuwing.nl reported it on 31 August and the NVWA issued its warning on 10 September; anything bought in between is covered too. (source 3)
• The earlier case: VRT reported on 17 February that Toi-Toys recalled its sand-filled Pufferz Pufferfiguren, item 3588Z, EAN 8714627012316, and that the maker said it had tested all its sand products with only that one returning a positive result. (source 4)

The check is the barcode. Both filled Toi-Toys figures recalled this year have barcodes starting with the same ten digits, 8714627012, and differ in the last three: 248 for this soldier and 316 for February's Pufferz. So when you go through the stretchy toys at home, first see whether the barcode starts with 8714627012, and if it does, compare the last three digits, which is faster than matching shapes one by one. The refund is a sum too: number found × the price you paid = what you get back without a receipt. Six assorted designs means figures in different colours or shapes may carry the same item number, so do not stop at the first one.

Keep may contain apart from has caused harm: the maker and the NVWA both say testing found the filling may contain asbestos, with the risk arising when the toy breaks and the filling is released and breathed in, and neither official text reports anyone falling ill. So an intact one should not be cut open to look inside and should not go back to the child; put it in a bag and take it to the shop.

Hokimi field note: the NVWA runs separate email alerts for food and for consumer products. If there are children at home, sign up for the consumer products one as well, because that is where this warning appeared. (source 5)