4114. Sky Dancer

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Galoob Toys Inc., of San Francisco, Calif., is recalling about 8.9 million Sky Dancers flying dolls. Galoob was purchased by Hasbro in 1998. The hard plastic Sky Dancers(r) dolls can fly rapidly in unpredictable directions, and can hit and injure both children and adults.

Galoob has received 170 reports of the dolls striking children and adults resulting in 150 reports of injuries. They include eye injuries, including scratched corneas and incidents of temporary blindness, broken teeth, a mild concussion, a broken rib, and facial lacerations that required stitches.

The recalled Sky Dancers dolls were sold in many different styles, including Pretty Lights Sky Dancers, Mini-Sky Dancers and Fairy Flyers. The princess/ballerina-type dolls have hair pulled up into a pony tail and have stiff foam wing-covered arms that propel the doll when it is launched. The launchers, sold in many shapes including dolphins, flowers, moon, ponies, and sun and rainbow, have a molded plastic base and a pull-cord. The launchers were sold in both hand-held and table-top versions. The doll is inserted into the top of the launcher feet-first, and the pull-cord is pulled to launch the doll. The packaging is labeled "Sky Dancers", "galoob", "MADE IN CHINA", "Ages 5 and Up Only" and "Not for children under 3 years".

Mass merchandise and toy stores nationwide sold the dolls from November 1994 through June 2000 for between $8 to $25.

Consumers should stop using these flying dolls immediately and call Galoob(r) for instructions on how to return the toy sets to receive a product of equal value. For more information, consumers should call Galoob(r) toll-free at (877) 598-5599 anytime, or go to the firm's web site at http://www.galoob.com/skydancer.html.

Lewis Galoob Toys Inc. is among the ten largest toy companies in North America. This California-based company produces and distributes a variety of promotional toys and games including the Micro Machine line of toy vehicles and Sky Dancer dolls.
Company Origins
Lewis Galoob Toys was founded in 1957 by Lewis and Barbara Galoob as a small distributor of toys and stationery; the company was incorporated in 1968. Galoob's first toy success was the reintroduction of a battery-powered Jolly Chimp that banged cymbals and nodded his head when activated. This classic toy, along with such stationery items as photo albums and calendars, brought in modest but steady annual sales in the low six figures during the 1960s and early 1970s. In 1970 company founder Lewis Galoob became too ill to continue as president, and his 21-year-old son, David, dropped out of the University of Southern California to take over the family business. David Galoob, whose previous business experience had consisted of selling waterbeds from the back of a truck, began to look for products with the potential to transform the small firm into a top toy producer. In partnership with his brother, Vice-President Robert Galoob, David aggressively pursued new product development, and thereby transformed the company into a $1 million business by 1976.