Dolls, Plush Toys, And Action Figures
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 1394
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Dolls, Plush Toys, And Action Figures carry a danger score of 35/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 5,896 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 35/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 5,896
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 3.5%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1394 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 35/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for dolls, plush toys, and action figures - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume5,896 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)3.5%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-9%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Dolls, Plush Toys, And Action Figures (CPSC product code 1394, in the Toys & Children's Recreation category) generate an estimated 5,896 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 88,436 ER-treated injuries across the 15-year span from 2010 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 35/100 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 2018 (7,196 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2022 (4,932 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for dolls, plush toys, and action figures is ingestion to the internal, accounting for approximately 13,131 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by foreign body to the face (8,604 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 47,212 cases over the NEISS window, and females appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 3.5% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 465 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how dolls, plush toys, and action figures 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 (2010–2024)
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 | 21,728 | 25,484 | |
| 5-14 | 13,231 | 13,822 | |
| 15-24 | 653 | 1,710 | |
| 25-34 | 1,043 | 2,718 | |
| 35-44 | 564 | 1,928 | |
| 45-54 | 481 | 917 | |
| 55-64 | 192 | 1,032 | |
| 65-74 | 292 | 1,137 | |
| 75+ | 16 | 1,484 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | Ingestion | |
| Face | Foreign Body | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Ear | Foreign Body | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Internal | Aspiration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Foot | Laceration | |
| Pubic Region | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
5YOF PRESENTS WITH A WAD OF HAIR STUCK IN HER THROAT AFTER SWALLOWING THE HAIR FROM A *** DOLL DX: THROAT FOREIGN BODY
2YOM TO ED WITH WHITE FOAM IN NOSE, MOM THINKS ITS FILLING FROM A STUFFED ANIMAL THEY HAVE AT HOME, DX FB TO NOSE
28YOF PATIENT TRIPPED ON A PLAY BABY STROLLER, TOE PAIN DX: CLOSED FRACTURE OF PHALANX OF TOE OF RIGHT FOOT, PHYSEAL INVOLVMENT UNSPECIFIED
3YOM PATIENT STARTED CHOKING AND THEN VOMITING BLOOD. MOM THINKS HE MAY HAVE HAD SOMETHING IN HIS MOUTH AND RAN INTO SOMETHING WHICH CAUSE A CUT ON THE BACK OF HIS THROAT. SHE REPORTS THAT HE LIKES TO PUT THE TAILS OF THE DINOSAUR TOYS IN HIS MOUTH. DX: SORE THROAT, CUT OF THROAT
52YOF WAS WALKING INTO HER HOUSE WHEN SHE TRIPPED AND FELL OVER A DOLL STRIKING HER HEAD DX: INTRACRANIAL HEMORRHAGE
6YOF ACCIDENTALLY SWALLOWED A DIME SIZED GOOGLY EYE DX FOREIGN BODY INGESTION
6YOM SWALLOWED A PLASTIC BACKPACK FROM A DOLL DX: FOREIGN BODY INGESTION
4YOM WAS PLAYING WITH SISTER WHEN HE GOT HIT IN THE HEAD WITH A PLASTIC TEDDY BEAR DX: LACERATION SCALP
4YOF PRESENTED TO ED C/O INGESTION OBJECT, PT STATED SHE WAS PLAYING WITH A DOLL AND A PIECE PLASTIC AND SHE STARTED CHOKING. DX; FOREIGN BODY INGESTION
2YOF WAS IN A *** RIDING CAR, AS SHE WAS GETTING OUT, HER FOOT GOT CAUGHT AND SHE FELL TO THE WOODEN FLOOR STRIKING HER FACE DX: CHIN LACERATION
3YOF WAS PLAYING WITH HER DOLL WHEN SHE ACCIDENTALLY POKED HERSELF IN THE LEFT EYE DX: CORNEAL ABRASION
31YOM WAS PLAYING WITH DAUGHTER WHEN A TOY DOG BRUSHED AGAINST HIS EYE, DX: ABRASION OF LEFT CORNEA
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
My toddler son sleeps with the Fisher-Price Soothe 'N Snuggle Otter with Rhythmic Breathing Motions toy, tonight, he happened to take the insert portion to see the light better and was fidgeting with the mechanism that allows the breathing effect, and he put his face up to it and his lip was sucked into the machine and it pinched his lip, caused bleeding and now he is terrified of the toy due to possibly being pinched and bleeding again.
Heads came off of Pluto and goofy action figures leaving very small choking hazzard
This is a blue plush monkey approx 20 cm in length given to me at my baby shower in February 2010. Information from label: Proud Toy Fty Zhuhai All New Materia, 100% Polyester Reg. No PA-10232(CN)Ages5&UP Made In China The nose, which is actually a small plastic screw, fell off and my 16-month-old nearly choked on it.
My child found what appeared to be a battery inside of a stuffed Horse that we had purchased for him. After careful examination I determined that it was indeed a battery inside of the animal. I made a small incision in the foot and removed what turned out to be a AA Battery that was manufactured in China (which happens to be where the toy was made). I found a second battery also just floating around inside of the animal and removed that one as well. The second battery was leaking. These batteries are not a type of battery that are sold here in Massachusetts so I don't think this was a prank by someone at the Store (Target) or by anyone here. I have kept the batteries for future reference. This toy is a simple stuffed animal made of soft cloth material and filled with a cotton type material. It does not use any batteries
Legs of paw patrol figurines keep breaking off. My son was not rough with them. They just break off when they fall to the floor on accident. Date reflects most recent break. It poses a choking risk to both my 3 year old and my infant daughter who crawls around the house.
Magnet easily fell off bottom of PlayMags magnetic figure. Concerned could easily be ingested and cause damage to intestinal tract.
The consumer indicates that the Best Buddies Micro Popz toy was given to her as a promotional item at the grocery store she was shopping at. When the consumer arrived home, she opened the bag the toy came in and placed it in her hand to eat but she quickly realized that it was not candy but rather a small toy. The consumer is concerned because the plastic bag it came in looks like a candy bag and she believes small children may think the same and swallow the item. The consumer plans on keeping the unit for the next thirty days in case an investigation ensues. The thing that is not included in the report is that the toy inside the bag looks just like a toy gummy that you can eat.
The You and Me doll was held and the head snapped off. The wires and small objects were exposed.
Showing 8 of 465 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to dolls, plush toys, and action figures on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are dolls, plush toys, and action figures?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, dolls, plush toys, and action figures have a danger score of 35/100 (low risk). An estimated 5,896 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from dolls, plush toys, and action figures?
The most common injury is ingestion to the internal, accounting for approximately 13,131 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from dolls, plush toys, and action figures increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for dolls, plush toys, and action figures injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 47,212 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by dolls, plush toys, and action figures?
Of all ER visits involving dolls, plush toys, and action figures, approximately 3.5% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (96.5%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with dolls, plush toys, and action figures?
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 35/100 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
