The Gymboree Caroline Flower Baby Sandals

What went wrong

The notice saysA plastic flower attached to the sandals can pull or snap off, posing a choking hazard to young children.

Here the loose piece is a working part of the shoe, not an add-on decoration. Fasteners such as snaps, rivets, zipper tabs and tags are pressed or sewn in at the factory, and when that attachment is weak they can work free with ordinary flexing. Because the part looks like it belongs there, parents rarely think to test it; a firm pull with your fingers is the quickest check.

How to tell if your pair is affected

Product description in the noticeThis recall includes the Caroline Flower Baby Sandal with SKU number 140002069 sold in sizes 1 to 8. The SKU number is printed on the price tag above the bar code. The sandal has a white upper sole and a cork covered outer sole. A white decorative plastic flower is attached to the top of the front strap. The front and back strap have adjustable touch fasteners. The name "Gymboree" is printed in aqua on the sole of the sandal.

Numbers named in the notice that you can match against the label, box or receipt:

• 140002069

What the notice tells you to do

RemedyConsumers should immediately stop using the sandals and return them to a Gymboree store for a refund. Consumers also can return the sandals to Gymboree via mail. Contact Gymboree for return instructions.

Recall contact, as printed in the notice: Contact Gymboree toll-free at (877) 449-6932 between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. PT Monday through Friday and between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. PT Saturdays or visit the firm’s Web site at www.gymboree.com

The recall is 21 years old, and the last pairs were sold about 21 years ago. A child who wore these at the time has long outgrown them, yet sandals like these keep circulating through younger siblings, swaps and thrift racks. The notice gives a phone number and a website for the firm; details that old may have changed, and the CPSC notice stays online as the record.

How this recall compares

• With about 5,600 units, this is the 54th largest of the 95 footwear recalls in our archive that give a U.S. unit count. The median recall in the archive covers about 7,200 units, so this one is below typical size.
• 41 other footwear recalls in the archive cite the same kind of hazard (choking), 41 of them in children’s footwear. The earliest in this group dates from 1993.
• The notice puts the sales window at about 3 months (May 2005 to July 2005), against a median of 7 months across recalls that state one. The recall came 1 month after the last sale date.
• The notice gives a price of $22 to $28. For sandals, clogs and flip-flops in the archive the typical stated price is about $24, so this pair sat near the middle of its group.
• The notice cites 4 reports before the recall. 36 of the 95 detailed notices in the archive cite no incidents at all.

Year, part, store and origin

• 2005 brought 3 footwear recalls in our archive, covering about 142,900 units in all. This was the 2nd of the year by date and the 2nd largest by units.
• The notice names the flower as the part that fails. 4 other footwear recalls in the archive name the same part in their hazard statement; the most recent is Joanna Girl’s Sandal (2013).
• Made in China. 61 of the 91 notices in the archive that name a country list China (67%).
• 4 reports on about 5,600 units works out to roughly 71 reports per 100,000 units. The median across the 55 recalls that give both figures is 16, so this recall drew more reports per pair than most.
• At the stated price, the 5,600 units come to roughly $140,000 of retail sales.

Comparisons use the 103 footwear recalls in our archive, read from the CPSC recall database on October 20, 2026. See data and methods.