Costumes Or Masks
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 1342
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Costumes Or Masks carry a danger score of 31/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 1,236 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 31/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 1,236
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 2.1%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1342 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 31/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for costumes or masks - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume1,236 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)2.1%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-7%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Costumes Or Masks (CPSC product code 1342, in the Toys & Children's Recreation category) generate an estimated 1,236 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 24,712 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 31/100 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 2020 (2,206 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2007 (473 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for costumes or masks is contusions, abr. to the eyeball, accounting for approximately 2,631 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the face (1,790 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 7,649 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 2.1% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 35 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how costumes or masks 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.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
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 | 2,715 | 2,271 | |
| 5-14 | 4,427 | 3,222 | |
| 15-24 | 1,625 | 2,448 | |
| 25-34 | 467 | 1,071 | |
| 35-44 | 1,165 | 1,582 | |
| 45-54 | 346 | 960 | |
| 55-64 | 106 | 627 | |
| 65-74 | 293 | 463 | |
| 75+ | 309 | 617 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Face | Derma/conjunct | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| All Parts Body | Derma/conjunct | |
| All Parts Body | Other | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Upper Trunk | Derma/conjunct | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Face | Foreign Body |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
20 YOF INJURED FROM BEING IN PARADE WHILE WEARING MASCOT COSTUME, LIGHTHEADED, VOMITING. DX-HEAT INTOLERANCE
23 MOF WITH RIGHT ARM PAIN, WAS GETTING HALLOWEEN COSTUME PUT ON BY GRANDMOTER AND JERKED BACK, PULLED UP BY BOTH ARMS TO PREVENT HITTING HEAD, DX: NURSEMAID'S ELBOW DISLOCATION
35 YOF C/O RIGHT FOOT PAIN WHEN SOMEONE DRESSED UP LIKE A ROBOT STEPPED ON HER FOOT, DX: FOOT CONTUSION
5YOM WAS TRYING ON A HALLOWEEN COSTUME AND THERE WAS A STRING IRRITATING HIS PENIS IN THE COSTUME SO HE TOOK SCISSORS TO CUT THE STRING AND ACCIDENTALLY CUT HIS PENIS DX: LACERATION TO PENIS
3 YOF PLAYING DRESSUP, PUT FUNNY FAKE TEETH IN MOUTH, AFTERWARD MOM FOUND ABRASIONS TO GUMS. DX ORAL ABRASION
24YOM PUTTING IN CONTACT LENSES THAT WERE COLORED AS PART OF A HALLOWEEN COSTUME, NOW HE CAN'T GET THEM OUT DX: FOREIGN OBJECT LEFT EYE
21MOF WAS RUNNING IN A HALLOWEEN COSTUME AT A PARTY AND FELL FORWARD ONTO OUTSTRETCHED RIGHT ARM DX: STRAINED RIGHT WRIST
10YOM TRIED ON A HALLOWEEN COSTUME AND DEVELOPED A RASH ONTO CHEST DX: CONTACT DERMATITIS
82YOM WAS AT THE NURSING HOME AND HAD A MECHANICAL SLIP AND FALL WHILE LIFTING UP A PILE OF LAUNDRY THAT WAS ON THE FLOOR AND FELL ONTO HIS RIGHT HIP DX: HIP FRACTURE
27YOM, PRESENTING WITH THE RIGHT EYE REDNESS THAT IS CRUSTED OVER FOR THE PAST 4DAYS STATES THAT IT STARTED AFTER TRYING ON HALLOWEEN MASKS WHILE IN A STORE, DX: ACUTE CONJUNCTIVITIS OF RIGHT EYE
6YOF WAS HIT IN NOSE WHEN A COSTUME FIREFIGHTER HAT AT CHURCH. DX: NASAL LAC
3YOM WAS STANDING ON A TOY FIREMAN'S HELMET AND FELL OFF TO THE FLOOR DX: FRACTURE OF RIGHT FEMUR *
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
When child's mask was turned on after inserting new batteries, the batteries instantly heated to burning temperature that would have melted the mask or burned while on a child's face.
I bought an electric toy for my son and his partners on amazon.com, My son had this for an hour before the battery pack overheated and burned my son's finger. When I took the battery out (new [REDACTED]), it exploded. Contacted Amazon customer support, they were supposed to take this product off of their website. It has no instructions for use and no safety warnings. It's so easy to sell on Amazon, which is a potential security risk. I purchased masks from several sellers. I don't know which one I bought from them damaged, but there are hidden dangers in these products.
Upon opening helmet for star wars costume, there was a strong glue odor. This odor made me feel light headed. This helmet can not be put on a child's head for them to breathe in the fumes from the glue. The design of this helmet covers the child's entire head and therefore no air would be circulating inside of it. There appears to be 4 separate rectangular spongy/foam pieces glued on the inside of the helmet and this is where the odor is coming from. Please give your attention to this matter as quickly as possible because halloween is quickly approaching. Item was purchased online from costume craze. item number PCG-003-E 221420 B Deluxe kids Clonetrooper Commander Cody Costume sku 883207
I was placing the mask on my face as directed and the shark edges of the eye area cut my eye. The edges were not buffed or softened.
(08/18/2014) The consumer stated that her daughter was playing in her room with her dress-up clothes. She came running into the room crying. The daughter told her mother that she cut her hand on the plastic shoe.The shoe had split where the strap attaches to the shoe( the consumer stated that she does not know how the shoe split). Her daughter put her hand into the inside of the shoe and cut her little finger on her right hand. Consumer added the shoes must have broken when they were worn during dress up. The consumer stated that she put ointment and a bandage on the cut.
The consumer says that her daughter was dancing with the costume on, when she fell and broke her right leg. The costume has long tails off the back that the consumer feels may have caused her fall. This is only the second time she had worn it. Her daughter is eleven years old and there is no age specification on the product. Her next step is to contact the manufacturer.
I want to report a problem with a product -- the Elena of Avalor Child Tiara, licensed by Disney and sold by Pure Costumes through Amazon.com. I gave them to my kids, and the plastic pieces on the crown came off almost immediately. One of my children got a piece stuck up her nose. Fortunately, we got it out, but I am disturbed by how quickly and easily the crowns fell apart and became dangerous. I feel this product should be pulled until this problem is fixed. Any action on your part on this matter would be appreciated. Regards, [REDACTED] [REDACTED]
In March 2013, I purchased a Dream Dazzlers crown with earrings from Toys R Us in Novi, Michigan. The stones in the earrings and crown keeps falling out and I have super glued them all back in and the stones have fallen out again and my 3 year old granddaughter had one of the stones in her mouth. These stones if swallowed could pose a chocking hazard to little children.
Showing 8 of 35 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to costumes or masks on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are costumes or masks?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, costumes or masks have a danger score of 31/100 (low risk). An estimated 1,236 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from costumes or masks?
The most common injury is contusions, abr. to the eyeball, accounting for approximately 2,631 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from costumes or masks increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for costumes or masks injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 7,649 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by costumes or masks?
Of all ER visits involving costumes or masks, approximately 2.1% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (97.9%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with costumes or masks?
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.
Related Products in Toys & Children's Recreation
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 31/100 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 5-14 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
