Nerf football, Batmobile on toy recall list

WASHINGTON -- A reminder from the government: Check those holiday shopping lists to make sure no recalled toys are on them.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission compiled its annual top 10 list of children's product safety recalls to coincide with the start of the holiday shopping season.

The toys should all be off store shelves. But the commission is concerned that some people might have done their shopping early.

All the products were recalled in the past year, the commission said. A Nerf football and a Batmobile toy car were among the items on the list being released today.

The agency received reports of 11 toy-related deaths in 2003 involving children younger than 15, down from 13 reported deaths in 2002. Almost half the deaths involved small toy balls that children choked on.

The list of top recalled toys and other children's products includes:

398,000 Bumble Bee toys distributed by Graco Children's Products. Graco received 26 reports of antennas breaking off the toys, including five reports of children who started to choke on the broken piece.

294,000 Nerf Big Play Footballs distributed by Hasbro. The football has a hard plastic interior frame that can pose a risk of facial cuts. Nine incidents of facial injuries have been reported, including eight that required stitches or other medical attention.

314,000 Batman Batmobile toy vehicles distributed by Mattel Inc. The rear tail wings come to a point, which poses a potential puncture or laceration hazard.