L.L. Bean Children’s Snuggle-Up slippers

What went wrong

The notice saysThe drawcord around the ankle of these slippers can break and release the toggle used to tighten the drawcord. The toggle presents 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 noticeThe Snuggle-Up slippers are made of red, blue or aqua fleece fabric, and have a suede sole. The drawcord around the ankle has a barrel toggle to tighten the slipper to adjust the fit. An "LL Bean" fabric label is sewn below the drawcord on the rear of the slipper. "L.L. Bean®" and "MADE IN CHINA" are written on the sole of the slippers. They were sold in sizes XXS (3.5 to 5.5) and XS (6 to 8).

The notice gives no style numbers or barcodes, so you match on what it does give: the brand and style (Children’s Snuggle-Up slippers), the sale period (August 2000 to October 2000), the store (L.L. Bean) and the “made in” label (China). If a detail does not line up, the recall contact below can confirm.

What the notice tells you to do

RemedyConsumers should take these slippers away from young children immediately, and return them to L.L. Bean for an exchange or refund.

Recall contact, as printed in the notice: For more information, call L.L. Bean at (800) 555-9717 anytime.

The recall is 25 years old, and the last pairs were sold about 26 years ago. Children outgrow shoes fast, so pairs like these now turn up mainly as hand-me-downs or in resale, where the recall still applies. The notice gives a phone number for the firm; details that old may have changed, and the CPSC notice stays online as the record.

How this recall compares

• With about 2,000 units, this is the 78th 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 well 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 (August 2000 to October 2000), 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 $18. For slippers and booties in the archive the typical stated price is about $13, so this pair sat at the pricier end of its group.
• The notice cites 1 report before the recall. 36 of the 95 detailed notices in the archive cite no incidents at all.

Year, part, store and origin

• 2000 brought 2 footwear recalls in our archive, covering about 5,800 units in all. This was the 2nd of the year by date and the 2nd largest by units.
• The notice names the toggle or tag as the part that fails. 4 other footwear recalls in the archive name the same part in their hazard statement; the most recent is Cat & Jack "Himani" and "Jaren" Toddler Boots (2020).
• Sold at L.L. Bean. 1 other footwear recall in the archive also list L.L. Bean as a seller; the most recent is Faux-Shearling Infant Booties (2007).
• Made in China. 61 of the 91 notices in the archive that name a country list China (67%).
• 1 report on about 2,000 units works out to roughly 50 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 2,000 units come to roughly $36,000 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.