Children’s clog shoes recalled because of choking risk

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and a St. Louis, Mo. company have issued a recall for about 1.4 million shoes sold at major retailers nationwide because of a potential choking hazard.

The Buster Brown & Co. children’s clog shoes are designed to resemble a car from cartoons and recent films. Most shoes have “CARS,” “Transformers Animated,” or “Barbie” written on them. “Buster Brown & Co.” is printed inside at the heel and on the original tag. Check the release for a complete list of shoes.

The products were sold from August 2007 through June 2009 at major retailers, including Famous Footwear, J.C. Penney, Meijer, Sears, Target and Wal-Mart.

The shoes sold for $10 to $25 in children’s sizes 5 to 13 and youth sizes 1-3.

The shoes have decorative wheels that can detach, which poses a choking hazard to young children, the commission said in a statement. Customers should immediately take the shoes away from children and return them to the place of purchase for a full refund, the commission said.

For additional information, contact Buster Brown & Co. toll-free at (888) 869-1044, visit the company’s website, or send an e-mail to busterandtige@brownshoe.com.

[Updated 4:50 p.m.: Brown Shoe issued a statement noting that no injuries were reported because of the detaching wheels. “Brown Shoe is committed to our customers’ safety, and though the shoes met the regulatory standards in place for quality testing, once we realized that the wheel component could create a choking hazard among children, we volunteered to undertake the recall,’ said Gary Rich, president of Brown Shoe’s wholesale operation. ‘We have partnered with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ensure parents have the information they need to return the shoes for a full refund.’]

-- W.J. Hennigan