Highest risk U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Build-A-Bear Workshop Heartwarming Hugs Bears recall: Risk of Serious Injury or Death from Choking Hazard to Children

Recall published 6 months ago

Risk of Serious Injury or Death from Choking Hazard to Children

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4 photos published by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission with the recall notice.

The hazard: Choking hazard

The product sheds or contains pieces small enough to choke a young child, which is why the remedy is removal rather than an added warning label.

What the notice says: The zipper slider on the side pouch can detach, posing a risk of serious injury or death from choking hazard to children.

Why it matters: Small parts can come off this product, or it contains pieces small enough to block a young child’s airway. Children under three explore with their mouths, and a blocked airway leaves minutes, not hours.

Symptoms and when to call a doctor

If a child is coughing forcefully, let them cough — that clears an object better than anything you can do. If they cannot cough, cry or breathe, call 911 and begin back blows and chest thrusts for an infant, or abdominal thrusts for an older child, if you are trained. After any episode where the object was swallowed rather than spat out, have the child checked: a piece can lodge in the oesophagus without obvious symptoms.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you feel unwell, a clinician who can see you is the only person able to judge your case.

Recall details

Recall number
10754
Published
April 30, 2026
Risk level
CPSC recall
Status
Active recall
Issued by
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Brand
Build-A-Bear Workshop
Product type
Consumer products
Units affected
About 36,000 (In addition 520 were sold in Canada)
Made in
China
Reports of harm
There has been one consumer report in the United Kingdom of the zipper slider detaching while in use, and no reports in the United States. No injuries have been reported.

Products covered by this recall

This recall involves the Heartwarming Hugs weighted plush bear with model number 034464. It has a side pouch containing a heart filled with 2.5 pounds of ceramic beads, which can be heated or cooled for comfort. The pouch is secured with a zipper. The product is graded 3 years+ and carries a cautionary statement advising adult supervision due to the heated/cooled element. The model number is located on the label sewn into the back side of one bear leg.

Check your product

The notice names 2 codes you can read straight off the package. Type the one printed on yours and the list below narrows to it.

Model or item number

On the rating label, the box or the instruction sheet.

  • is graded 3 years

Package size

Match the net weight or the piece count on the front of the pack.

  • 2.5 pounds

Codes are lifted verbatim from the CPSC — Consumer Product Safety Commission notice. A code that is missing here may still be covered — the official notice is the complete list.

What to do about Choking

Build-A-Bear Workshop — The product sheds or contains pieces small enough to choke a young child, which is why the remedy is removal rather than an added warning label.

  1. Take the product away from any child under three and check the floor and furniture for pieces that have already come off.
  2. Refresh infant and child choking first aid if it has been a while; the Red Cross and most hospitals run short courses.
  3. Inspect similar items from the same range or set, since detaching parts usually point to a production problem rather than one bad unit.
  4. Do not hand it down to a younger sibling or drop it at a charity shop.

If the claim stalls

Most recall claims are paid without argument. The ones that stall usually stall for a reason you can fix.

  • Check you used the recall channel rather than ordinary customer support — the two queues rarely talk to each other.
  • If the company is unresponsive or has stopped trading, report it to the CPSC at SaferProducts.gov, and try the retailer in parallel.
  • Paid by card? A chargeback for goods that are unfit for sale is a legitimate fallback once the company has had a fair chance.
  • Send the photos they asked for in the format they asked for. A missing date code is the single commonest reason a claim sits unprocessed.

Remedy named in the notice: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Heartwarming Hugs Bear and return it to a local Build-A-Bear Workshop store to receive a refund in the form of original payment or a gift card for the original purchase price redeemable toward any available Make-Your-Own furry friend and any other available merchandise. If a consumer is unable to return their Heartwarming Hugs Bear to a local store, they can visit www.buildabear.com/recalls for more information or call Build-A-Bear to receive a free return shipping label to return the recalled bear and to receive a refund check in the form of original payment or in the form of a digital gift card to use on the firm's website.

Company contact: Build-A-Bear at 844-541-0144 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT on Sunday or by email at [email protected], or online at https://www.buildabear.com/recalls or https://www.buildabear.com and click on "Recall" at the bottom of the page for more information.

The official notice

This page summarises a notice published by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The agency notice is the authoritative version — read it before you act, and treat it as the final word if anything here looks different.

Open the CPSC — Consumer Product Safety Commission record U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls

Questions people ask about this recall

Why was Build-A-Bear Workshop consumer products recalled?

Risk of Serious Injury or Death from Choking Hazard to Children The zipper slider on the side pouch can detach, posing a risk of serious injury or death from choking hazard to children.

How do I know if I have the recalled product?

Match the codes printed on your package against the notice: model number is graded 3 years. If the code on your package is not on that list, your unit is outside the recall.

What should I do with it right now?

Take the product away from any child under three and check the floor and furniture for pieces that have already come off.

Can I get my money back?

The notice says: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Heartwarming Hugs Bear and return it to a local Build-A-Bear Workshop store to receive a refund in the form of original payment or a gift card for the original purchase price redeemable toward any available Make-Your-Own furry friend and any other available merchandise. If a consumer is unable to return their Heartwarming Hugs Bear to a local store, they can visit www.buildabear.com/recalls for more information or call…

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