BBC International Crayola® toddler boots

What went wrong

The notice saysThe toggle, a small plastic ball attached to the laces, can detach, 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 noticeThe recalled Crayola® boots come in boys' and girls' styles. The boys' boots are blue and black with a toggle on each boot to use to tighten the laces. The boots have a patch featuring a space scene with a "crayon rocket." The girls' boots are white with pink and lavender trim, and also have a toggle on the laces. The patch on the side of the girls' boot shows a snow scene of two kittens. Both style boots were sold in sizes 6 through 10. A tag on the side of the boots reads, "Crayola®." "MADE IN CANADA" is imprinted on the bottom of the boots.

The notice gives no style numbers or barcodes, so you match on what it does give: the brand and style (Crayola® toddler boots), the sizes (sizes 6 through 10), the sale period (September 1999 to December 1999), where it was sold (see “Sold at” above) and the “made in” label (Canada). If a detail does not line up, the recall contact below can confirm.

What the notice tells you to do

RemedyConsumers should remove the toggles from the laces of these boots immediately and throw the toggles in the trash. Consumers can return the boots to the store where purchased for a refund.

Recall contact, as printed in the notice: For more information, contact BBC International at (800) 632-4450 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.

The recall is 25 years old, and the last pairs were sold about 26 years ago. Most original owners have moved on to bigger sizes; the pairs still around tend to sit in donation bags, consignment shops and online resale listings. 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 38,000 units, this is the 29th 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 above 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 4 months (September 1999 to December 1999), against a median of 7 months across recalls that state one. The recall came 13 months after the last sale date.
• The notice gives a price of $20. For boots in the archive the typical stated price is about $29, so this pair sat at the cheaper end of its group.
• No incidents were reported before this recall. That is true of 36 of the 95 detailed notices in the archive: firms often recall after their own testing or a supplier finding, not after injuries.

Year, part, store and origin

• 2001 brought 4 footwear recalls in our archive, covering about 797,000 units in all. This was the 1st of the year by date and the 4th 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).
• Made in Canada. 1 of the 91 notices in the archive that name a country list Canada (1%).
• At the stated price, the 38,000 units come to roughly $760,000 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.