Other Toy Weapons (projectile)
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.
Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment · CPSC Code 5001
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Other Toy Weapons (projectile) carry a danger score of 29/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 277 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 29/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 277
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 3.4%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 5001 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 29/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for other toy weapons (projectile) - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume277 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)3.4%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+3%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Other Toy Weapons (projectile) (CPSC product code 5001, in the Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment category) generate an estimated 277 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 5,538 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 29/100 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 2008 (570 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2017 (89 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for other toy weapons (projectile) is contusions, abr. to the eyeball, accounting for approximately 1,213 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by other to the eyeball (733 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 2,202 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 3.4% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 6 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how other toy weapons (projectile) 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 | 845 | 486 | |
| 5-14 | 1,718 | 484 | |
| 15-24 | 407 | 138 | |
| 25-34 | 204 | 342 | |
| 35-44 | 153 | 168 | |
| 45-54 | 32 | 217 | |
| 55-64 | 187 | 142 | |
| 65-74 | 16 | 0 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Internal | Ingestion | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Face | Foreign Body | |
| Internal | Aspiration | |
| Ear | Foreign Body | |
| Lower Arm | Laceration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Finger | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Arm | Puncture |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
7YOM PRESENTS TO ED WITH HEAD INJURY. PT. FELL WHILE AT PLAYGROUND STRIKING HEAD AND FACE. NASAL BRIDGE EDEMA DX: NOSE INJURY
7YOM EAR ABRASION FROM A PLASTIC LIGHT SABER DX: ABRASION OF EAR CANAL
6YOM TO ED WITH C/O OF EYE PAIN, STATES HIS SISTER ACCIDENTALLY SHOT A *** GUN AT HIM AND PELLET HIT EYE, DX ABRASION OF CORNEA
58YOM PT C/O LEFT EYE REDNESS AFTER HE WAS HIT IN THE EYE WITH A HOOK END OF A BLOW GUN DX: SUBCONJUNCTIVAL HEMORRHAGE, ABRASION CORNEA, LEFT EYE
8 YOM WAS SHOT BY HIS BROTHER WITH A *** DART. DX: LEFT CORNEAL ABRASION
19YOF WAS SHOT W/ A CHILD'S PROJECTILE TOY. DX: LAC HAND
2YOM PUT A PIECE OF A FOAM DART UP HIS NOSE DX: FOREIGN BODY IN NOSE
28 YOM WAS ACCIDENTLY HIT IN THE EYE WITH A *** PROJECTILE. DX: RIGHT CORNEAL ABRASION.
53 YOM was it in the eye with a *** bullet a week ago.DX: Hyphema right eye
2YOF WAS PLAYING OUTSIDE AND GOT HITT IN THE EYE ACCIDENTALLY BY BROTHER PULLING AN ARROW OUT OF TARGET BOARD IN BACK YARD DX LT EYELID LACERATION
2YOF WAS PLAYING W TOY BOW AND ARROW AND ARROW ENTERED THE BACK OF HER THROAT DX INTRAORAL LACERATION
13 YOM INJURED EYE, PLAYING WITH SPLAT GUN, GOT SHOT IN EYE, AT HOME. DX-RIGHT EYE INJURY
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Grandmother was playing with Grandson and the Play Dat Light Up Bubble Blaster. Grandson poked his finger into the front of the toy (from whence bubbles are emitted. His finger was immediately trapped. I utensil had to be used to pry his finger out. I tested it the toy after his finger was extricated. This device has way too much torque. I could not stop the wand in the front of this toy from rotating. It posses a great risk of injury to a child.
My 7 year old received a Bonzai Dragon Drencher for a birthday gift 3 days ago. He opened it, (still dry) pulled the tail back, pointing the head of the dragon forward- the head slipped out of his forehand and shot him in the nose so hard it sounded like the crack of a baseball bat. Blood sprayed everywhere, and it cracked the cartilige in his nose.
The product is a NXT Generation Youth Rapid Riser Compound Bow with suction arrows. The upper and lower limb of the compound bow are connected to the main part of the bow (the part you hold) by a screw. My son received it for Christmas and hadn't played with it much yet, but as he was pulling back on the bow string, the upper limb snapped off with the screw. So the screw is sticking out of the upper limb. Luckily, he was not injured. But since bows are often held near the face, the limb with the screw sticking out could have very easily poked him in the eye or scratched him anywhere on his body. I thought perhaps it could simply be screwed back in but after doing so, when I pulled back on the bow string, the upper limb and screw popped out again. I have a picture if needed.
My son received the Howtoons Marshmallow Shooter for his 8th birthday. My 9 year old son was playing with it, building a shooter device to shoot the included foam marshmallow pieces. In order for the device to work you have to blow through the connected tubes and the foam pieces shoot out into the air. He decided to load a bunch and start shooting multiple pieces. Then he decided he wanted them to shoot out really far across the room so he took a really big breath to inhale while his mouth was on the tube and he sucked in some of the foam pieces and started to choke. He really startled him and he began turning purple and was not able to cough at all. We flipped him upside down and patted him very firmly across his back until he was able to cough and take a breath. Unfortunately he was not able to cough the pieces up so they were swallowed. We have no idea how many he actually swallowed but it was extremely scary and had he not started coughing we almost called 911 and had a much scarier situation on our hands. The toy states that it is for age 8+ but I think it should be older and actually recalled due to the potentially life-threatening hazard it poses.
Cosplay Toys Spider Web Launcer. Suction cup end is seperate from Wargead/Bullet and is only attached by a magnet. The suction cup tip comes off nearly every time that the device is shot. Soon it will become lost and children will continue to shoot the device without attaching the suction cup tip. This creates a dangerous situation that can literally put someones eye out.
A new Christmas toy, a gel blaster gun, caught fire overnight while charging. Gel Blaster SURGE Toy Blaster Shoots Eco-Friendly Water Gellets The Next Evolution in Backyard Fun and Outdoor Games for Boys and Girls Ages 12+ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08M5HRBS2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_R1P44QWPFM4Z4TARJKQ3 We plugged in to charge around 10 pm and smoke detectors went off about 6 hrs later at 4:30 am. The gun was engulfed in flames on our kitchen counter. We were able to get the fire out ourselves. No structural damage to our home. Only impact was soot and smoke damage. We cleaned the house ourselves to remove the soot, replaced our blackened air filters, and had to require a restoration company to clean the air to get rid of the burnt plastic smell. The smell was so bad that our son was dry heaving and vomiting. We are unable to reach the manufacturer. We have left a voicemail at 844-gellets with no reply. We have also emailed 3 times to support@gelblasters.com and received delivery failures. Our only cost we have spent is with the restoration company and it was $580 to run an air scrubber on each of our 3 floors for 2 days. We would like to get the company to reimburse the restoration cost but cant reach them. We would also like to recall the toy. We saw other reviews on Amazon where others has also smoldered and was caught before catching fire.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to other toy weapons (projectile) on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are other toy weapons (projectile)?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, other toy weapons (projectile) have a danger score of 29/100 (low risk). An estimated 277 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from other toy weapons (projectile)?
The most common injury is contusions, abr. to the eyeball, accounting for approximately 1,213 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from other toy weapons (projectile) increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for other toy weapons (projectile) injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 2,202 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by other toy weapons (projectile)?
Of all ER visits involving other toy weapons (projectile), approximately 3.4% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (96.6%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with other toy weapons (projectile)?
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 Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 29/100 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.
