Miami, FL - December 27, 1999 - Burger King Corporation is voluntarily recalling the Pokémon® balls included with BURGER KING® kids meals. The balls may pose a suffocation hazard to children under three years of age. Pokémon balls are the ball-shaped plastic containers that hold Pokémon toys in BURGER KING kids meals. Either half of the Pokémon ball can become stuck on a child's face, covering the nose and mouth and may cause suffocation of a child under three years of age.

A 13-month-old girl reportedly suffocated when one half of a Pokémon ball covered her nose and mouth. An 18-month old girl reportedly also had a ball half stuck over her face causing her distress; however, the girl's father on the second attempt pulled the ball-half from her face and no injury resulted.

The Pokémon balls are plastic ball-shaped containers between 2 ¾" and 3" in diameter. They pull apart to reveal one of 57 different Pokémon toys inside. The balls were distributed in a variety of colors including red and white, and hot pink. Packaging described them as safety tested and recommended for all ages of children.

BURGER KING restaurants nationwide distributed the Pokémon Balls inside BURGER KING BIG KIDS MEALS™ and regular kids meals from early November through December, 1999.

Consumers should immediately take the balls away from children under the age of three. They should discard the ball or return both halves of the ball to a BURGER KING restaurant for a free small order of french fries. Consumers may continue to use the Pokémon toy that came inside the ball.

BURGER KING restaurants will continue to distribute the Pokémon toys in balls with BURGER KING BIG KIDS MEALS, but the Pokémon balls will no longer be included with the toy in the regular kids club meals, generally intended for younger children. Consumers should not allow children younger than the age of three (3) to play with these balls.*

*On Friday, December 24, 1999, Burger King Corporation instructed all of its U.S. restaurants to discontinue distributing the Poké Balls with its Kids Meals. Thereafter, on Friday, December 31, 1999, out of an abundance of caution, the company decided to cease distribution of the Poké Balls with its Big Kids Meals as well.