CPSC, American Greetings Corp. Announce Recall of Sesame Street Sunglasses

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 2005) – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. 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: Sesame Street Sunglasses Units: About120,000 Manufacturer: American Greetings Corp., of Cleveland, Ohio Hazard: The lens on the sunglasses can separate from frames, posing a choking hazard to young children. Incidents/Injuries: None reported. Description : This recall involves DesignWare ® child-size sunglasses with Sesame Street character decals. Sold in quantities of four, each package contains a yellow, blue, red and green pair of sunglasses. The bright green cardboard backer has the Sesame Street and DesignWare ® logo on the front, and model number SUN-1219 on the back. Manufactured in: China Sold at : Discount, toy, drug, grocery, party and specialty/gift stores nationwide from December 2003 through August 2005 for about $3. Remedy: Consumers should take these sunglasses away from young children and dispose of them immediately. Consumers can contact the firm for a coupon redeemable wherever American Greetings’ products are sold. Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact American Greetings at (800) 777-4891 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at http://corporate.americangreetings.com or www.ag.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.