33
CPSC NEISS Data 2005–2024

Blocks, Stacking Toys Or Pull Toys

Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.

Toys & Children's Recreation · CPSC Code 1326

Stable over 5 years

The verdict

Blocks, Stacking Toys Or Pull Toys carry a danger score of 33/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 2,247 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.

33/100
danger score (low risk)
2,247
ER visits per year (avg)
1.9%
end in hospital admission
0-4
most-injured age group

Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1326 - last data year 2024.

PlainSafety danger score

0/100100/10033/100
PlainSafety danger score

Source: CPSC NEISS danger-score model As of 2024

How this 33/100 score is built

The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for blocks, stacking toys or pull toys - no opinion, no editorializing:

  • Injury volume2,247 ER visits/yr
  • Severity (hospitalization rate)1.9%
  • Fatality rate0.00%
  • 5-year trend-9%

See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.

What the CPSC Data Shows

Blocks, Stacking Toys Or Pull Toys (CPSC product code 1326, in the Toys & Children's Recreation category) generate an estimated 2,247 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 44,945 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 33/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (3,388 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2006 (1,444 estimated visits).

The single most common ER diagnosis for blocks, stacking toys or pull toys is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 9,996 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (5,645 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 29,757 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 1.9% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.

Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 117 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how blocks, stacking toys or pull toys fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.

2,247
Injuries / Year
1.9%
Hospitalization Rate
0.00%
Fatality Rate

Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)

1K2K2K3K3K4K 20052008201120142017202020232024 3K
Estimated annual emergency-room visits for Blocks, Stacking Toys Or Pull Toys, CPSC NEISS

Source: CPSC NEISS national injury estimates As of 2024

Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only

Who Gets Injured?

Age Group Male Female Total
0-4 19,408 10,349 29,757
5-14 6,418 4,109 10,527
15-24 176 457 633
25-34 308 762 1,070
35-44 390 737 1,127
45-54 318 288 606
55-64 140 337 477
65-74 31 237 268
75+ 0 478 478

Most Common Injuries

Body Part Diagnosis Est. Injuries
Face Laceration 9,996
Head Internal Injury 5,645
Head Laceration 4,232
Mouth Laceration 3,024
Face Contusions, Abr. 2,772
Head Contusions, Abr. 1,014
Face Foreign Body 898
Eyeball Contusions, Abr. 861
Internal Ingestion 729
Mouth Dental Injury 716
Ankle Strain, Sprain 687
Foot Strain, Sprain 686
Lower Trunk Other 532
Foot Contusions, Abr. 483
Lower Leg Fracture 404

Severity Breakdown

Treated/examined And Released 97.4% (43,792)
Treated And Admitted/hospitalized 1.1% (509)
Treated And Transferred 0.9% (402)
Left Without Being Seen 0.5% (244)
Held For Observation 0.1% (28)

ER Visit Narratives

Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.

Age 5 · Male · Elbow · Strain, Sprain · 2024

5YOM PRESENTS TO ED W/ LEFT ARM PAIN. PT WAS AT *** MUSEUM THIS AFTERNOON STANDING ON A BLCOK APPROX 1 FT ADN FELL BACKWARDS NO SURE HOW LANDED. IMMEDIATELY FELT LEFT ELBOW/PROXIMAL FOREARM PAIN. DX: ELBOW SPRAIN LEFT

Age 8 · Female · Head · Concussion · 2024

8YOF PRESENT TO ED W/ HA DIFFICULTY W/ AMBULATION. AT SCHOOL THIS AFTERNOON A FEW WOODEN BLOCKS THECHILDREN WERE BUILDING SOMETHING FELL STRUCK PT ON THE CROWN OF HEAD.NO SKIN BREAK.W/O SX'S AT THE TIME NO LOC.TONIGHT PT C/O FRONTAL HA,ANTERIOR B/L THIGH PX NEW ONSET SAME TIME.NOT WANTING TO WALK AT HOMEDX:CONCUSSION W/O LOC

Age 220 · Male · Head · Laceration · 2024

20MOM TRIPED OVER SOME TOY BLOCKS AND HIT HIS CHIN SUSTAINING A LACERATION DX: LACERATION OF OTHER PART OF HEAD

Age 14 · Female · Hand · Other · 2024

14YOF PRESENTING WITH RIGHT THUMB PAIN FOR ONE DAY. PT STATES THAT YESTERDAY SHE WAS AT *** AND PUSHING HER MOTHER IN A SOFT BLOCK TOY WHEN HER RIGHT THUMB WAS FORCED INTO ADDUCTION. PT STARTED HAVING INCREASED PAIN TO THE THUMB TODAY AS WELL AS SWELLING TO THE THENAR EMINENCE. DX: HAND PAIN, RIGHT

Age 6 · Female · Face · Laceration · 2024

6 YOF PLAYING WITH BLOCKS IN THE CLASSROOM AT SCHOOL WHEN THE BOX FELL OVER ONTO PT HITTING HER ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF FOREHEAD ABOVE THE EYEBROW, DX: FACIAL LACERATION

Age 2 · Male · Face · Foreign Body · 2024

2YOM BIB MOTHER WITH FB IN NOSE. PT WAS PLAYING WITH BLOCKS AND CHILD TOLD HER THAT THERE IS SOMETHING STUCK IN HIS NOSE DX: FB IN NOSE

Age 6 · Male · Head · Internal Injury · 2024

6YOM PRESENTS AFTER HE FELL AT SCHOOL AND STRUCK HIS HEAD ON WOODEN BLOCK. DX: FALL

Age 2 · Male · Head · Laceration · 2024

2YOM WAS WALKING AND FELL BACKWARDS AND FELL OVER A BLOCK STRIKING HIS HEAD ON A CORNER OF THE WALL DX: LACERATION SCALP

Age 214 · Female · Face · Contusions, Abr. · 2024

14MOF, MOM REPORTS PATIENT FELL FROM BUILDING BLOCKS STRIKING HEAD ONTO TILE FLOOR, 2FEET HEIGHT FALL, NO LOSS OF CONSCIOUS, HAS BRUISING TO FOREHEAD WITH VOMITING, DX: FALL, INTIAL ENCOUNTER

Age 3 · Female · Upper Leg · Fracture · 2024

3YOF WAS PLAYING AT SCHOOL AND FELL OFF OF A FOAM BLOCK DX FRACTURED RIGHT FEMUR

Age 4 · Male · Finger · Contusions, Abr. · 2024

4YOM PLAYING WITH BLOCKS AT SCHOOL AND SMASHED FINGER. DX: FINGER CONTUSION

Age 7 · Male · Ankle · Strain, Sprain · 2024

7 YOM PRESENTS WITH ANKLE SPRAIN S/P TWISTED ANKLE WHILE PLAYING WITH BLOCKS AND STEPPING ON THEM. DX: ANKLE SPRAIN

Consumer Incident Reports

Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.

9/25/2012 · Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received · MEGA Brands Inc · Florida

My daughter was injured while playing with Mega Bloks. She was leaning on them and the broke apart she fell on top of one of the blocks which sliced her nostril away from her nose. The block she landed on was facing with the underside up. She had to have three stitches.

9/13/2012 · Incident, No Injury · Megcos Toy Company Ltd. · Unspecified

The pieces that go in the sorter are too small and are a choking hazard. My 9 month old put them in her mouth and they were small enough for her to get them lodged in her throat. I got the piece out just in time. Also, the handle comes apart by the plastic "bead" snapping in half. The plastic hinges could break off and cause cuts and also a choking hazard. It has broke in half already. This toy is made of hard plastic but if it gets dropped or something it doesn't seem sturdy enough to make it through the fall. I think this product is unsafe for the age they advertise it for.

8/4/2019 · Incident, No Injury · Kenneth Toys Import & Export Ltd · California

This toy airplane was a gift to a nine month old baby from a children’s health care office. The plane is a plastic push toy of a passenger airplane with three wheels - a nose wheel and rear axle with two wheels. The plane has a wingspan of 5 1/2 inches and is 5 1/2 inches long. The baby was playing with the toy when an adult noticed the plastic nose wheel in the baby’s mouth. The baby had put the toy in his mouth and was able to remove the nose wheel since it was attached in a recessed notch and comes out fairly easily. The wheel was removed from the baby’s mouth without incident but obviously posed a chocking hazard. The toy is marked “Made in China No: 8895”. A sticker on the underside of the wing reads: Kenneth Toys Production Location: Chenghai China Production Date: July 2018 PO Number: 133264

8/29/2025 · Incident, No Injury · MOBI GAMES INC · Montana

Our child was playing with the Zippee toy made by Mobi. We found her unconscious, not breathing, blue lipped. Turned out she choked/gagged on the toy which produced vomiting and more choking. The toy has 6 inch long silicone tubes with half inch diameter balls on the end. Doctors and paramedics have since told us the design is dangerous as it's a choking hazard. We followed up with ER visit that day and primary care visit on monday and she currently has no known brain damage. We estimate she was out of breath between 45-120 seconds. We have another health follow up later in September.

8/29/2013 · Incident, No Injury · Toy's R Us · California

I purchased the babies r us brand bath stacking cups from the babiesrus / toysrus in Porter Ranch, CA on Saturday, August 24th. I went to put the fishy cups in the bath with my 16 month old son and noticed something strange on the red one. There was a rigid piece of metal sticking out of the top part of the cup. The piece of metal was small, but it was really sharp and could have done some damage. I reached out to babies r us on Monday and I hadn't heard back, so I called them again today and they ensured me it was a "big deal" and they would have someone from corporate call me back immediately and still nothing. This is extremely dangerous and I think it needs to be looked into immediately.

8/17/2015 · Incident, No Injury · Disney Store USA, LLC · Connecticut

I bought Disney's Baby Stuffed Winnie the Pooh blocks for my son because they were adorable. My son is 8 months old and was playing with one of the cubes. Luckily, I was right next to him. I noticed that he was chewing on what I thought was a piece of tape. It was the small crinkle plastic inside Pooh's arm tag! He chewed through it (he ONLY has his 2 bottom teeth!) and if I wasn't there could have choked on the plastic! I am surprised that this happened with a Disney product. I would expect higher quality. Later, I noticed that the arm of the Tigger block (they come in a pack of three blocks) had become detached. He won't be playing with these anymore! I would also hope that there may be a recall issued so no other baby has the same sort of accident with a more tragic outcome...

8/14/2011 · Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received · Jay Franco and Sons, Inc. · Unspecified

Purchased Ring Toss Game Towel for my 5yr old. My child was playing with the 12pc game and she placed her left index finger in the yellow base of the game. She immediately started crying and it took me several minutes to be able and remove her finger out of it. Her finger started changing blue in color and was swelling while stuck. I tried using lotion, water to help loosen her finger out of it; this did not work. I also tried using scissors to see if I could cut out the plastic from the outside edges, but the plastic was too thick and hard to cut thru. Finally, I had to place my daughters arm between my legs and press down on her swollen skin from lower part of her finger and above the toy. I was able to remove it while my child cried and was hitting the wall with her other hand in order to resist the pain. Her finger was stiff, swollen, blueish color, and part of her skin was damaged. I took her to the ER and they examined and took xrays. She suffered from a contusion. This is not a safe toy because this could happen to any other child.

8/1/2024 · Incident, No Injury · Walmart Stores Inc. · Texas

I WANT TO MAKE IT VERY CLEAR THAT MY CHILD COULD HAVE CHOKED TO DEATH ON THIS PRODUCT!!!!!! The toy product contains an elephant with a plastic trunk. The plastic trunk easily breaks off, creating a choking hazard. My son, a 1 year old, to which this toy is marketed toward, was playing with it. I noticed he had something in his mouth only to find he was easily able to bite off a piece of the trunk. If I had not been there, he could have choked. I proceed to remove the piece and inspected the trunk, only to find the cheaply made product broke apart with ease. If not recalled, it should at the very least be marketed toward kids older than 12m+. This is not cool. My son could have choked. I hope you will consider recalling this product. I have noticed similar reviews on the walmart website and someone submitted here, albeit for a different reason. Regardless, it shouldn't take a kid that choked to death to recall an unsafe product. Please do something about this.

Showing 8 of 117 reports.

Product Recalls

Search for active and past recalls related to blocks, stacking toys or pull toys on the CPSC website.

Frequently Asked Questions

How dangerous are blocks, stacking toys or pull toys?

Based on 20 years of CPSC data, blocks, stacking toys or pull toys have a danger score of 33/100 (low risk). An estimated 2,247 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.

What are the most common injuries from blocks, stacking toys or pull toys?

The most common injury is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 9,996 injuries over 20 years.

Are injuries from blocks, stacking toys or pull toys increasing or decreasing?

Stable over 5 years.

Who is most at risk for blocks, stacking toys or pull toys injuries?

The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 29,757 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.

What happens when someone is injured by blocks, stacking toys or pull toys?

Of all ER visits involving blocks, stacking toys or pull toys, approximately 1.9% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.1%) are treated and released from the emergency department.

How can I report a safety problem with blocks, stacking toys or pull toys?

You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.

Safety Guides

What this means for you

Treat the 33/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.

  • See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
  • Injuries cluster in the 0-4 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
  • Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls

NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.

Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.