Stride Rite Children’s Group Munchkin T-Strap girls' shoes

What went wrong

The notice saysThe buckle on these shoes can break, posing a choking hazard for 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 Munchkin T-Strap girls' shoes were sold in children’s sizes 4 through 12. They have a strap that is fastened by a metal buckle on the side of the shoe. The word "MUNCHKIN" is molded into the bottom of the shoe. The shoes have the following style numbers written inside the shoe below the words "Made in China." 3182011 (Brown Suede) 3182029 (Black Leather) 3182037 (Red Leather) 3182045 (Navy Leather) 3182052 (White Leather) 3182094 (Black Patent)

The notice gives no style numbers or barcodes, so you match on what it does give: the brand and style (Munchkin T-Strap girls' shoes), the sizes (children’s sizes 4 through 12), the sale period (January 2001 to September 2001), where it was sold (see “Sold at” above) 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 the shoes away from their children immediately and return the shoes to the store where purchased, for a refund or replacement shoes.

Recall contact, as printed in the notice: For more information, call Stride Rite at (800) 650-7708 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or go to the company’s web site at www.strideritecorp.com

The recall is 24 years old, and the last pairs were sold about 25 years ago. A child who wore these at the time has long outgrown them, yet shoes 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 109,000 units, this is the 17th 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 9 months (January 2001 to September 2001), against a median of 7 months across recalls that state one. The recall came 2 months after the last sale date.
• The notice gives a price of $25. For shoes in the archive the typical stated price is about $38, so this pair sat at the cheaper end 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

• 2001 brought 4 footwear recalls in our archive, covering about 797,000 units in all. This was the 4th of the year by date and the 3rd largest by units.
• The notice names the buckle as the part that fails. No other footwear recall in the archive names that part in its hazard statement.
• Made in China. 61 of the 91 notices in the archive that name a country list China (67%).
• 4 reports on about 109,000 units works out to roughly 3.7 reports per 100,000 units. The median across the 55 recalls that give both figures is 16, so this recall drew fewer reports per pair than most.
• At the stated price, the 109,000 units come to roughly $2.7 million 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.