CPSC busts 44,000 ghosts for safety hazards

The Consumer Product Safety Commission asked consumers today to give up the ghosts—44,000 in fact, including Casper—because of fire and lead paint hazards. The agency announced two recalls: the first of 30,000 ghost-shaped tealight candle holders that can burst into flame and the second of 14,000 Casper the Friendly Ghost figurines that were covered with lead paint.

The CPSC has gotten five reports of the tealight holders, sold by Crate & Barrel,  igniting and one report of the holder becoming excessively hot. Two consumers suffered burns to the hand. Minor property damage to furniture has also been reported. No injuries have been associated with the Casper recall. Here are the details.

Crate & Barrel tealight holders

The recalled tealight candle holders are metal in the shape of ghost and are white with a black base. They were sold by Crate & Barrel from August 2008 to October 2008 for about $10 as a set of 3 (SKU #370-846 and/or Catalog Item #X2006). They were also sold by other retailers in that time period as individual units (SKU #770123) for between $3 and $5. The SKU can be located on the product’s packaging.

Crate & Barrel is asking consumers to stop using the tealight holders immediately and to return them to the store where purchased for a full refund. Consumers can contact Crate & Barrel at (800) 451-8217 between 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT Monday through Sunday. For items purchased elsewhere, contact the Trade Associates Group toll-free at (888) 621-8350 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.tagltd.com.

Coyne's & Company Casper figurines

The recalled Casper the Friendly Ghost mini-figurines are made of resin and paper, and are three inches tall. They were sold in mini bags decorated with a spider and web design. The figurines are dressed as: Dracula in a red bag, skeleton in a green bag, devil in a spider bag, mummy in an orange bag, Casper in a blue bag, and Wendy the Witch in a yellow bag. The figurines are stamped with TM & ©Harvey Ent. “Coyne’s & Company” and “CP1030” are printed on a white sticker on the bottom of the bags. They were sold by gift, specialty, card, and drug stores nationwide from June 2005 through September 2008 for between $1 and $3.

Coyne's is asking consumers to take the figurines away from children and contact the company to receive a full refund or credit at (800) 336-8666 anytime, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.coynes.com.